Iranian Gas Tanker Stranded in Houston OK'd for Sale

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued Iran-related General License Q, titled “Authorizing Limited Safety, Environmental, and Sale Transactions Involving the Blocked Vessel M.V. Tinos I While Located in the United States.”

Tinos I, a VLGC has been anchored off Houston since June 2024, when it attemped to load a cargo of Liquid Petroleum Gas for sale to China.   The vessel's ultimate owner is Syed Asadoollah Emamjomeh, a UAE-based Iranian tycoon who was sanctioned last month by OFAC [13711]

This license authorizes certain otherwise-prohibited transactions necessary for the maintenance, safety, environmental protection, and potential sale of the Iranian-linked vessel M.V. Tinos I, while it remains within U.S. jurisdiction.

[Iran GL Q]

The license does not authorize the unblocking of the vessel or the transfer of funds to any blocked persons except as specifically allowed under the license’s terms.