SeaLead Shipping ends contracts for sanctioned chartered container ships

In a statement issued on 31 July, the Singapore-based company disclosed several vessels it had chartered for commercial operations were added to the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list.

SeaLead confirmed the termination of all charterparties and contracts related to the sanctioned vessels and entities, emphasising its commitment to regulatory compliance.

“All SeaLead vessels and their ownership structure continue to be screened in line with the company’s robust due diligence processes which include a stringent sanction screening and Know Your Supplier process,” the company said.

As reported by Riviera last week, OFAC’s latest round of designations targeted 62 vessels linked to Iran, including 37 tankers, 22 container ships, and three LPG carriers. According to shipping data platforms, 16 of the listed container ships had been chartered by SeaLead.

Prior to the sanctions announcement, SeaLead was ranked 13th globally among the top 100 liner operators, according to Alphaliner. Following the update, the company now stands in 19th place, operating a fleet of 36 container ships totaling 131,710 TEU. Of these, 35 are chartered-in and one is owned.

Launched in 2017, SeaLead began by offering feeder services in the Red Sea and quickly expanded across the Middle East–Asia corridor. In recent years, the company has extended its footprint to the US East and West coasts, along with other global trade lanes.