Mystery Bounty Hunters Offer €500K for the Location of Sanctioned Shadow Fleet Oil Tanker

The global hunt for the shadow fleet has just turned into a high-stakes bounty hunt. According to The Insider, an advertisement has appeared on LinkedIn offering a €500,000 reward for verified information on the current location of the VLCC tanker Omra (IMO 9264881).

The massive bounty, posted by an account linked to the vessel’s former identity, signals a new, aggressive phase in tracking the ghost ships fueling the Russian and Iranian war machines.

The Omra is a prime example of the deceptive tactics used by pariah states. As reported by The Insider, the tanker has been playing a shell game with maritime authorities, operating under a false flag of Guyana before switching to Comoros.

Previously operating under the name Vani, the vessel was later repainted and was placed under US sanctions in July 2025. Despite being blacklisted, it was recently spotted in Iranian waters in late January and was last tracked on February 17 near Malaysia—a notorious hotspot for illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers.

Earlier this week, Danish authorities detained the Iran-flagged container ship Nora after finding issues with its registration — Comoros, under whose flag it previously sailed, told Denmark the vessel was not in its official registry. The Danish Maritime Authority said Nora will remain held until the flag state can prove it is properly registered and certified, and a port state inspection is conducted.

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