Author: Dharmesh Thakkar

Over the past 12 to 15 months, a shadow trade in sanctioned Iranian methanol appears to have quietly penetrated Indian ports, exploiting weak documentation checks and falsified origin certificates. Shipping and trade data reviewed by the New Delhi Post indicate that large quantities of methanol of Iranian origin were imported into India during 2024-25, falsely declared as originating from Sohar in Oman. Central to this network are ghost vessels, forged Bills of Lading, fabricated Certificates of Origin and a chain of intermediaries spanning Iran, Oman, Singapore and India. Two vessels, MT EALDOR and MT Lucky-2503, have been specifically flagged by…