Eyal Ofer

In April 2024, Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the container ship MSC Aries in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming that it had breached maritime regulations and was linked to Israel. The vessel was operated by MSC and owned by Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime. In 2025, Iranian authorities demanded a fine of approximately 170 million dollars from Eyal Ofer and made allegations of terrorist financing.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Mohamed Edris, a Bangladeshi worker who lost a leg and the sight in one eye while dismantling the Eurus London in Chittagong, brought proceedings against Zodiac Maritime, a company owned by Eyal Ofer. He argued that Zodiac knew or should have known that the vessel sold through an intermediary would end up at a dangerous shipbreaking yard. Law firm Leigh Day states that the claim was successfully resolved.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Indirectly implicated

NGO Shipbreaking Platform named Zodiac Maritime, a company owned by Eyal Ofer, "worst corporate dumper" for 2016 following the sale of 12 vessels destined for dismantling on South Asian beaches, mainly in Bangladesh, linking these practices to serious accidents and inadequate labour and environmental standards.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

A Globes analysis of the Ofer family's British shipping companies, including Zodiac, controlled by Eyal Ofer, estimated that they had generated more than 1.5 billion dollars in operating profit over ten years while reporting an effective tax rate of approximately 0.49%, partly through the British maritime tax regime. The situation fuelled controversy over tax optimisation by major shipowners.

State of the evidence

Documented

In May 2011, the United States sanctioned Ofer group entities over a maritime transaction involving Iran, causing a scandal in Israel. US authorities subsequently clarified which legal entities were targeted, and some were removed from or reclassified on sanctions lists, highlighting the complexity of the family group's structure.