On December 11, 2023, the U.S. Authorities [Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), and Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)] issued a Quint-Seal Guidance highlighting common tactics deployed by malign actors in the maritime and other transportation industries. The guidance also highlights recent criminal and civil enforcement actions taken in response to alleged violations of the U.S. sanctions and export controls. The document describes steps that the maritime & transportation industries can take to ensure compliance with U.S. sanctions and export controls.

The potential indicators of efforts to evade sanctions and export controls in the maritime and other transportation industries are as follows:-
1- Manipulating location or identification data
2- Falsifying cargo and vessel documents
3- Ship-to-ship transfers
4- Voyage irregularities and use of abnormal shipping routes
5- Frequent registration changes
6- Complex ownership or management