January 14, 2026
What U.S. Maritime Enforcement Is Up Against in 2026: An Exclusive Interview with Blas Nuñez-Neto
Know Your Vessel – Case studies in steering clear of sanctions evasion
What’s inside?
Global trade financing is an increasingly complex task for financial institutions, especially when vessels are involved. Many authorities now expect financial institutions to implement sophisticated controls when it comes to shipping. These include screening and monitoring for potential sanctions violations, trade-based money laundering, and other high-risk transactions.
Recently, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) put out a new advisory describing common deceptive shipping practices. It also recommends a list of due diligence procedures for organizations across the maritime ecosystem to implement.
Given the large volume of transactions and the need for timely processing of transactions, it is not feasible to complete Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) on every transaction. Financial institutions must rely on a risk-based approach to protect themselves and keep their business on track.
Know Your Vessel: Case Studies in Steering Clear of Sanctions Evasion examines two public examples where standard screening tools failed to identify red flags associated with a vessel involved in a transaction and reviews the resulting risks to the transaction parties.
It goes on to explain how a Know Your Vessel (KYV) process such as considering the vessels’ prior behavior would have flagged the transaction. It ends by describing how KYV can be incorporated into the transaction screening process.
Â
Featured posts
What U.S. Maritime Enforcement Is Up Against in 2026: An Exclusive Interview with Blas Nuñez-Neto
Key Takeaways An Expert Perspective on Maritime Enforcement in 2026 By any traditional measure, maritime enforcement should be getting easier. There is more data than ever before – we have more sensors, more satellites, and more visibility across the world’s oceans. Yet for agencies tasked with protecting borders, enforcing sanctions, and interdicting illicit trade, the…
Read more
What Maduro’s Fall and the EU’s 18th Sanctions Package Mean for Maritime Compliance
At a Glance Navigating the Convergence of Sanctions and Geopolitics The maritime industry has just entered one of its most volatile periods in decades. On January 3, 2026, the global energy landscape was upended by Operation Absolute Resolve. Following a coordinated strike involving over 150 aircraft, the United States successfully took the Venezuelan leader, Nicolás…
Read more
Maritime Defense Weekly: U.S. Intervention in Venezuela and Maritime Risk
The Week in Focus Venezuela: Intervention, Transition, and Maritime Risk Operation Absolute Resolve, the U.S. operation against Venezuela, has created a fragile interim environment. Following January 3 strikes on military infrastructure in Caracas and the port of La Guaira, Nicolás Maduro was removed, leaving a power vacuum with direct implications for global energy flows. The…
Read more
EU-Owned Tankers Regain Share of Russian Oil Shipments
Preliminary figures show European-owned tankers shipped 29% of all Russian oil in December, underscoring the growing complexity of sanctions enforcement as Western governments further target exports funding the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. That share rebounded sharply from November, when just 17% of crude, refined products, and fuel oil was exported on EU tonnage — one…
Read more
Ground Truth: Windward’s 2026 Commitment to Verified Maritime Intelligence
By Ariel Zibziner, VP Business Services, Windward Data Integrity in an Era of High-Frequency Signal Manipulation As we conclude 2025, the maritime domain is characterized by a trust deficit in digital signaling. The convergence of major global conflicts — continued hostilities in Ukraine, Houthi attacks disrupting Red Sea transit, suspected infrastructure sabotage in the Baltic,…
Read more
Russia Reclaims Its Dark Fleet as Venezuela Tankers Come Under Attack
Bella 1 Reflags to Russia to Avoid U.S. Interception Runaway Venezuela-trading tanker Bella 1 (IMO 9230880) painted a Russian flag on its hull, changed its name, and reflagged to Russia mid-voyage last week to avoid capture by the U.S. Coast Guard in the Atlantic Ocean. But Bella 1, now known as Marinera, is not alone….
Read more
Everything you need to know about Maritime AIâ„¢ directly to your LinkedIn
