U.S. Marines Board Shadow Fleet VLCC Wen Yao in Gulf of Oman

U.S. Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit boarded the 300,000 DWT VLCC Wen Yao (also named Lan Jing) in the Gulf of Oman on July 16 in a flag verification operation as part of the reinstated U.S. blockade on Iranian seaports.

Wen Yao is falsely flagged in San Marino according to her Equasis record and is owned and managed by Dubai-based interests. The vessel was fully laden with Iranian fuel oil at the time. According to TankerTrackers.com, the vessel changed her name and flag repeatedly during the U.S. pursuit, ultimately broadcasting the name Azhin under an Iranian flag by the time of boarding.

The boarding is one of several enforcement actions since the blockade restarted, including three vessel redirections and one disabling strike using Hellfire missiles.

No crew injuries were reported. Investigation into the vessel's flag and ownership status is ongoing.