On November 9, 2026, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published an Iran Designation Update amending the Specially Designated Nationals entry for Volta Shipping Services LLC (Arabic: فولتا لخدمات الشحن ذ م م), a Dubai company tagged IRAN-EO13902 and linked to Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani. The update replaces the strong alias VOLTA SHIPPING SERVICES FZCO with VOLTA CONTAINER LINE FZCO and leaves the legal name, Dubai addresses, UAE licence numbers, chamber and registration numbers, and the secondary-sanctions cross-reference to section 2 of Executive Order 13902 unchanged.
US banks and payment firms screening UAE shipping counterparties, US and US-nexus freight forwarders and NVOCCs booking Dubai container movements, marine insurers and P&I clubs placing cover on UAE container lines, and commodity traders chartering or paying Volta Container Line FZCO must immediately add the strong aka VOLTA CONTAINER LINE FZCO to SDN screening and block property and dealings with that name under the existing IRAN-EO13902 entry for Volta Shipping Services LLC, or a US person that deals with the new alias risks an IEEPA civil penalty, and a foreign financial institution faces secondary-sanctions risk under section 2 of E.O. 13902. The alias binds on the November 9, 2026 publication: OFAC set no later compliance date.
What did the November 9, 2026 SDN amendment change?
The Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List is OFAC's register of blocked persons under 31 CFR Chapter V, covering country and thematic program designations such as the IRAN-EO13902 tag. The November 9, 2026 notice is an identifying-information amendment of the SDN List, not a new designation: the blocked person remains Volta Shipping Services LLC, established dates 7 June 2017 and 1 October 2023, at Office No 1-024, Al Garhoud, Deira, Dubai, and Business Cluster Building 3 108, Fl 1, Dubai.
| Field | Before the November 9, 2026 update | After the update |
|---|---|---|
| Strong aka | VOLTA SHIPPING SERVICES FZCO | VOLTA CONTAINER LINE FZCO |
| Legal name | VOLTA SHIPPING SERVICES LLC | VOLTA SHIPPING SERVICES LLC |
| Program tag | IRAN-EO13902, linked to SHAMKHANI, Mohammad Hossein | Same tag and same link |
| UAE identifiers | License 784220 and alt. 50335; Chamber 290374; Registration 1290166; CBLS 10957213 | Same numbers |
| Secondary sanctions | See Section 2 of E.O. 13902 | Same cross-reference |
A booking, invoice or bill of lading in the container-line name is still the same blocked person. The entity was designated on July 14, 2026: this notice adds no second person.
Who must treat VOLTA CONTAINER LINE FZCO as blocked?
US banks and payment firms that screen UAE shipping counterparties are exposed because a payment, a letter of credit or a USD clearing leg in the new name is a dealing with the existing SDN entry. US and US-nexus freight forwarders and NVOCCs booking Dubai container movements are exposed when the carrier, the booking party or the consignee appears as VOLTA CONTAINER LINE FZCO. Marine insurers and P&I clubs placing cover on UAE container lines are exposed when the assured or the vessel operator uses that alias, and commodity traders are exposed when they charter or pay Volta Container Line FZCO.
Exposure follows market contact with the Dubai entity. The SDN entry itself points secondary-sanctions risk to section 2 of E.O. 13902 for a foreign financial institution that processes a transaction involving the blocked person. Obsidian tracks 9 regulatory texts, in force, amended or in preparation, for Trade Compliance, Sanctions and Export Controls in the United States as of November 2026.
What must screening teams load immediately?
Screening teams must load VOLTA CONTAINER LINE FZCO as a strong aka of Volta Shipping Services LLC on the IRAN-EO13902 program and block property and dealings in that name, with immediate effect. A practical load, each item taken from the November 9, 2026 entry, is:
- Add VOLTA CONTAINER LINE FZCO as a strong aka and keep VOLTA SHIPPING SERVICES LLC as the primary name.
- Keep the Arabic name فولتا لخدمات الشحن ذ م م on the same record so an Arabic invoice still hits the entry.
- Keep both Dubai addresses, both establishment dates, licences 784220 and 50335, chamber number 290374, registration 1290166 and CBLS 10957213.
- Hold bookings, charters, premium and claims payments, and trade finance that name VOLTA CONTAINER LINE FZCO, pending an OFAC licence.
Continuous, per-jurisdiction monitoring is what surfaces an alias swap of this kind on the day OFAC publishes the recent action.
What is the consequence of dealing in the new alias?
A US person that deals with VOLTA CONTAINER LINE FZCO deals with the blocked person and risks an IEEPA civil penalty. Civil penalties under the OFAC regime attach without a requirement to prove intent. A foreign financial institution faces secondary-sanctions risk under section 2 of E.O. 13902, the risk the SDN entry itself prints on the Iran sanctions program. The November 9, 2026 notice states no fine amount and no wind-down general licence for this alias swap.
Confirm the live file carries VOLTA CONTAINER LINE FZCO against Volta Shipping Services LLC, re-run open Dubai bookings and in-force marine cover for that string, and brief sanctions, chartering and claims on the November 9, 2026 alias before the next fixture.
