Reward offered for missing tanker linked to sanctioned oil trade PHOTO

In one of the more unusual LinkedIn posts seen recently, an account named “OMRA ex Vani” has started circulating notices offering a reward for information on the 2004-built VLCC Omra. The posts state they are “seeking verified information regarding the current position of this ship," Seatrade Maritime reports.

The tanker in question is the 300,544 dwt, 2004-built Omra (IMO No. 9264881), previously known as Vani. According to Equasis, the vessel is flying a false flag of Guyana, although Pole Star Global’s PurpleTrac database indicates that as of February 2026, the Omra is sailing under the Comoros flag, having switched from its earlier false-flag of Guyana.

The VLCC was sanctioned by the United States under OFAC in July 2025. The vessel is owned by Marshall Islands-based Avani Lines, which is also under OFAC sanctions since July 2025. It is managed by Sevana Shipping in Abu Dhabi and appears to be the only vessel in the company’s fleet.

The LinkedIn notice claims to offer a EUR 500,000 reward “for any information that leads to confirming vessel’s current location.” Photographs posted alongside the notice show the tanker under its previous name Vani, flying the flag of San Marino, with a black hull. The notice adds that the VLCC may have been repainted a different colour.

According to Pole Star Global, the last reported position of the Omra was six days ago in the East Outer Port Limits (EOPL) anchorage off the East Coast of Johor — an area associated with significant numbers of dark fleet ship-to-ship crude oil transfers.

The Omra has been linked to the sanctioned Iranian crude trade and was reported in Iranian waters on 23 January undertaking bunkering operations.

By Vafa Guliyeva