September 17, 2026
77 Ships Blacklisted, None Deterred: Inside Iran's Failing Hormuz Toll Regime
A guide on deceptive shipping practices
What’s inside?
Deceptive shipping practices are tactics employed by bad actors to avoid detection and possible sanctions. But why are maritime stakeholders under the spotlight? The reason that regulators continuously shift increasing responsibility on due diligence towards the maritime ecosystem is because shipping plays a significant role in the global supply chain. This fact hasn’t been overlooked by regulators, as they. The recent advisory from U.S. authorities has, for the first time, detailed the responsibilities and expectations that private businesses connected to the maritime sector must adhere to.
OFAC numbered seven deceptive shipping practices that should be part of an effective compliance process. But simply knowing about them is not enough. How do you identify deceptive shipping practices with traditional matching tools? Well, you can’t. Bad actors today have become experts of their craft and the only way to keep up is with dynamic, AI-powered tools.
As trade sanctions increase, knowing which vessels you can safely do business with is of growing importance across the wider business environment. Today, it is not enough to “Know Your Customer” (KYC); you need to “Know Your Vessel” (KYV). And only strong tools are capable of identifying real-time risk factors at the vessel level.
We recently published a guide on exactly what executives need to know when it comes to deceptive shipping practices. Below are some key takeaways:
- New decade, new standards – recent advisories published by U.S. and U.K authorities have raised the bar for players across the supply chain
- Goodbye matching tools – Identifying deceptive shipping practices is drastically different from traditional sanctions list screening.
- By analyzing vessel behaviors, organizations can proactively identify counterparties that may expose them to sanctions risk.
A sophisticated regulatory environment calls for a sophisticated solution. So what should you do? Onboard more tools and train more staff? The resulting costs and resources, without necessarily more accuracy, can outweigh the benefits. To help our partners manage at risk at scale, Windward automatically vets risk, while accounting for hundreds of risk factors in real-time.
Get the guide to learn more.
Featured posts
77 Ships Blacklisted, None Deterred: Inside Iran’s Failing Hormuz Toll Regime
At a Glance Operational Overview Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority opened in mid-May to oversee transits and toll payments through the Strait of Hormuz. It has since released three tranches of blacklisted vessel names, on August 24, September 2, and September 14. Windward analysis of all 77 vessels finds that every one used the “unauthorized”…
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The Houthis Take Perim and Petroline Is Hit as Freight Rates Cross $1 Million a Day
At a Glance Operational Overview Saudi Arabia’s workaround to the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz came under direct attack last week. Saudi Arabia diverted crude to the Red Sea port of Yanbu via the East-West pipeline. On September 10, a pumping station on the pipeline was attacked and preemptively shut down. On the…
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Subsea Cable Surveys Are Converging on the Same Behavioral Signature
At a Glance Four Vessels Worked Five Pacific Cable Systems Simultaneously Four Chinese state-owned research vessels conducted surveys directly above five Pacific cable systems this summer. Pacific Light Cable Network, Hawaiki, Bulikula, Honotua, and Juno. Each shows the same behavioral profile of sustained low speed, grid tracklines, and multi-day dwell in position, consistent with systematic…
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What Marine Underwriters Are Now Pricing Against
At a Glance Underwriting Is a Pricing Decision Made on Incomplete Data Underwriters carry the pricing decision at two moments in the coverage process. At binding, the underwriter takes compliance’s assessment of the vessel and its operating context, applies actuarial models and loss history, and sets premium and terms. At renewal, the underwriter takes the…
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Your Sanctions Audit Trail Has to Survive a Ten-Year Lookback
At a Glance OFAC Doubled the Retention Period in 2025 On March 12, 2025, OFAC’s extended recordkeeping requirement took effect, doubling the retention period for records of transactions subject to its regulations from five years to ten. The final rule followed an interim rule published in September 2024 and adopted it without change. The driver…
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Panama Canal Restrictions Are Landing on an Already Broken Chokepoint Map
At a Glance The Canal Is Cutting Capacity in the Wrong Season The Panama Canal Authority will run nine daily slots at the Neopanamax locks and 25 at the Panamax locks from September 4, averaging 34 transits per day. That falls again on September 15, when the limit drops to 32 ships. The canal had…
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Windward Launches WhatsApp Integration for Instant Risk Insights
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