How to check if a ship is sanctioned
· 3 min read
In short
To check whether a ship is sanctioned, find its IMO number, look the ship up by that number, and read the sanctions section of its vessel page: it lists every current designation with the list, the programme and the date, and links to the official source. Governments designate ships by IMO number, so the number is what matches; a name alone is not enough, because names change and are reused. A match is a starting point for due diligence, not a legal determination: confirm the designation on the publisher's own list (OFAC, the EU, the UK) before you act on it.
Start with the IMO number
Sanctions authorities name ships by their IMO number, the seven-digit identifier that belongs to a hull for life. Ask for the IMO number first: from the ship's papers, the bill of lading, the charter party or the vessel's own page. If you only have a name, search it and choose the ship by its type, flag and IMO number, because many ships share a name and a sanctioned ship may have been renamed.
If all you have is an MMSI, the number of the ship's radio, search it in the Voydar search; the vessel page shows the IMO number it is linked to. The two are different identifiers: see IMO number vs MMSI.
Read the sanctions section of the vessel page
- Each current designation shows the list (for example the US Treasury's OFAC SDN list, the EU's list of designated vessels, the UK Sanctions List, Canada's or New Zealand's), the programme it falls under and the date it was listed.
- Each one links to the official source so you can verify it at the publisher.
- Voydar matches by identifier (IMO number or MMSI) only. It never matches by name, so a ship with a similar name is not flagged.
Every sanctioned ship Voydar holds is also listed on the sanctioned vessels page, and each list has its own page: OFAC, the EU, the UK, Canada and New Zealand.
Ships on sanctions lists, as Voydar tracks them
Live from VoydarCurrent vessel designations on the lists Voydar reads, straight from each list.
2,017 distinct ships are currently designated on at least one of these lists. 272 of them were heard on AIS by Voydar in the last 7 days.
Designations are the lists’ own facts. The distinct-ship count and the “heard in the last 7 days” count are Voydar’s, from its AIS reception; a ship Voydar did not hear may simply be out of its coverage. As of Nov 13, 2026, 01:07 UTC
Confirm it at the publisher
Lists change, and a tracking site is a convenience, not the authority. Before you act on a match, open the official list and check the entry yourself: the US Treasury's Sanctions List Search for OFAC, the EU's Council regulations for designated vessels, and the UK Sanctions List. Check the entry's identifiers against the ship's IMO number, and read the date, since a designation can be added or removed at any time.
A clean result does not prove a ship is safe to deal with. A ship can be owned or managed by a designated company without being listed itself, can carry cargo that is restricted, or can be designated by an authority Voydar does not read. For a trade decision, use a compliance provider and your own counsel; see the shadow fleet guide for what the warning signs are and are not.
Questions and answers
- Can I check if a ship is sanctioned by its name?
- Not reliably. Governments designate ships by IMO number, and names change and are reused, so a name can match the wrong ship or miss a renamed one. Find the IMO number first and look the ship up by that number.
- Does Voydar tell me if a ship is on the OFAC list?
- Yes. If the ship's IMO number or MMSI is on a list Voydar reads (OFAC SDN, EU, UK, Canada, New Zealand), its vessel page shows the designation with the list, programme and date, and links to the official source. Always confirm it at the publisher.
- What if the ship is not shown as sanctioned?
- It means no current designation by IMO number or MMSI was found on the lists Voydar reads. It does not clear the ship, its owner or its cargo; those can be restricted separately.
- Is a sanctions match on Voydar a legal determination?
- No. It is a starting point for due diligence. The official list is the authority, and a designation can change at any time.
Try it
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Sources
Primary sources for the facts in this guide. Figures labelled as Voydar data come from Voydar’s own records, with their method stated next to them.
- US Treasury OFAC: Sanctions List Search
- UK government: The UK Sanctions List
- EU: Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 (designated vessels)
Published Nov 8, 2026 · For information only. Not for navigation, and not a substitute for the official sources cited.