Shadow Fleet News

Ukraine has struck a Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea with aerial drones for the first time, an official said on Friday, reflecting the growing intensity of Kyiv's attacks on Russian oil shipping.The vessel - the Qendil - was empty when it was struck by drones in neutral waters more than 2,000 km (1,250 miles) from Ukraine, sustaining critical damage, the official at the SBU security service said in a written statement.The tanker was located off Libya's coast at 1330 GMT, MarineTraffic data showed.

The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on 29 vessels and their management firms as Washington targeted Tehran's "shadow fleet", which it says exports Iranian petroleum and petroleum products.The targeted vessels and companies have transported hundreds of millions of dollars of the products through deceptive shipping practices, the U.S. Treasury said.The shadow fleet refers to ships that carry oil that is under sanctions. They are typically old, their ownership opaque…

Iranian authorities detained 18 crew members of a foreign tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman on Friday that they said was carrying 6 million litres of smuggled fuel, Iranian media reported on Saturday.Iran, which has some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.(Reuters - Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Jan Harvey)

Ukrainian sea drones on Wednesday hit and disabled a tanker involved in trading Russian oil as it sailed through Ukraine's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea to the Russian port of Novorossiysk, a Ukrainian official said.The attack is the third sea drone strike in two weeks on vessels part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" - unregulated ships which Kyiv says are helping Moscow export large quantities of oil and fund its war in Ukraine despite Western sanctions.War insurance costs for ships sailing to the Black Sea have spiked…

The shipping industry has always been good at navigating uncertainty; however the rapid expansion of the shadow fleet represents a different kind of risk. It’s not just regulatory or geopolitical; it’s informational. Each vessel that goes dark removes a small piece of the world’s safety awareness, and that loss is beginning to matter, writes Yarden Gross, CEO and Co-founder of Orca AI. A parallel system moving out of sightConcern over the shadow fleet’s growth is now being voiced at senior industry level.

A liquefied natural gas tanker has left Russia's Arctic LNG 2 after loading a cargo there, according to data compiled by LSEG and analytics firm Kpler, as the project continues output despite Western sanctions over Moscow's war in Ukraine.The Christophe De Margerie tanker arrived at Arctic LNG 2 on October 17 and departed loaded on October 20, according to Kpler data. Shipping database Equasis lists the tanker's registered owner as Zelitiko Shipping, and its ship or commercial manager as Gas Carriers SCF Management…

Donald Trump is putting more pressure on India to slash its Russian oil purchases. This could deprive Moscow of vital revenue, but it will mostly just push more Russian oil into an increasingly large shadow market.The U.S. president said on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to stop buying oil from Russia, an agreement India has yet to confirm.India has become a major trade buyer of Russian oil since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It purchased 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) of Russia’s crude in the first nine months of 2025…

Britain targeted Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, and 44 shadow fleet tankers on Wednesday in what it described as a new bid to tighten energy sanctions and choke off Kremlin revenues.Lukoil and Rosneft were designated under Britain's Russia sanctions laws for what London described as their role in supporting the Russian government. They are subject to an asset freeze, director disqualification, transport restrictions, and a ban on British trust services.The two companies were considered strategically significant to the Kremlin…

Britain targeted Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, and 51 shadow fleet tankers on Wednesday in what it described as a new bid to tighten energy sanctions and choke off Kremlin revenues.Lukoil and Rosneft were designated under the Britain’s Russia sanctions laws for what London described as their role in supporting the Russian government. They are subject to an asset freeze, director disqualification, transport restrictions, and a ban on British trust services.The two companies were considered strategically significant to the Kremlin…

French military personnel have boarded the oil tanker Boracay, which is suspected of belonging to the so-called shadow fleet involved in the Russian oil trade, French media reported on Wednesday.French authorities have been tight-lipped about the vessel, which is currently at anchor near the western city of Saint Nazaire. The Brest prosecutor said on Tuesday that a probe had been opened after the crew failed to provide proof of the vessel's nationality and failed to comply with orders…

The French Navy said on Tuesday that authorities were investigating a possible infraction by the oil tanker Boracay, a vessel suspected of belonging to the so-called "shadow fleet" involved in the Russian oil trade.The vessel is listed under British and European Union sanctions against Russia. It was detained by Estonian authorities earlier this year for sailing without a valid country flag. Shadow fleet tankers typically have opaque ownership and insurance and are often more than 20 years old.The crude oil tanker left the Russian port of Primorsk on September 20…

Terminal operators in a major oil port in east China's Shandong province are set to introduce measures to ban shadow fleet vessels and curb visits by other old tankers, according to an official notice seen by Reuters and a tanker tracker.The measures, to take effect from November 1, would ban vessels using fake International Maritime Organization numbers and ships of 31 years or older, which traders said would target what is known as the shadow fleet that transports oil under Western sanctions.Four terminal operators at Huangdao Port last week issued the notice…

Britain launched a new package of Russia-related sanctions on Friday, targeting ships carrying Russian oil, as well as companies and individuals supplying electronics, chemicals and explosives used to make Russian weapons.The package was a response to recent Russian aggression, the British government said in a statement, referring to the higher numbers of Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine in recent months, and the violation of NATO airspace over Poland on Wednesday."International…

Dozens of tankers have joined the shadow fleet this year compared with hundreds in previous years as the harshest Western sanctions yet target Russia's oil exports and add to the difficulty of finding suitable vessels, shipping sources said.The European Union and Britain last month imposed further sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine.Together with U.S. restrictions, they mean more than 440 shadow fleet tankers face sanctions, including tankers Moscow needs to ship oil to its biggest buyers…

The EU will end its dependency on Russian energy by stopping the import of Russian gas and oil and phasing out Russian nuclear energy, while ensuring stable energy supplies and prices across the Union with a new REPowerEU Roadmap.Despite the significant progress achieved under the REPowerEU Plan and via sanctions since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in 2024 the EU saw a rebound in Russian gas imports. More coordinated actions are therefore needed, as the EU's overdependency on…

Germany has pledged additional measures to further counter Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" operating in the Baltic and North Sea, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday in a statement.Western sanctions aimed at cutting Russia's oil revenues following its invasion of Ukraine have led to the rise of a vast "shadow fleet" of tankers that helps Moscow to keep its crude exports flowing.From Tuesday German authorities have begun questioning passing tankers about their insurance coverage against oil pollution damage, the foreign ministry said, adding that the insurance coverage of "shadow fleet" vess

Global insurer Allianz Commercial recently issued its 2025 Safety & Shipping Review, examining maritime risk trends and losses. The report revealed that the shipping industry has made significant improvements when it comes to maritime safety in recent years. During the 1990s the global fleet was losing 200+ vessels a year. This total had halved 10 years ago and is now down to a record low of 27 as of the end of 2024 (from 35 in 2023).Despite the ongoing trend for fewer large losses, challenges remain.

Britain on Monday imposed new sanctions on Russia's so-called "shadow fleet", targeting 135 oil tankers along with two Russian firms, shipping company Intershipping Services LLC and oil trader Litasco Middle East DMCC.The oil tankers are critical to Russia's energy and oil sectors, with the British government saying they form part of the fleet responsible for carrying $24 billion worth of cargo since the start of 2024. Foreign minister David Lammy said the new sanctions would…

By May this year, 158 cases of vessel abandonment had been recorded, up from 119 at the same point in 2024.These cases represent more than 1,501 seafarers who have reached out to the ITF for assistance, many of whom were left unpaid, without food, water or access to ports, often for months at a time.“Abandonment is a growing, systemic problem,” said Stephen Cotton, ITF General Secretary. “Behind every number is a human being who has been failed by the industry and the governments responsible for regulating it.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is backing the US Federal Maritime Commission’s (FMC) domestic investigation into vessel flagging laws, including the long-abused practice of ‘Flags of Convenience’ (FOCs).The FMC announced its probe last week, citing serious concerns that states operating FOCs are enabling a “race to the bottom” in global maritime regulations."The FMC is absolutely right in its assessment of Flags of Convenience and the permissive environments they create for unscrupulous shipowners and operators…

Western sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine and aimed at cutting its oil revenues have led to the rise of a vast "shadow fleet" of tankers helping Moscow keep its crude exports flowing.Here are some key points about these unregulated vessels.WHY IS THIS FLEET IN THE NEWS?Estonia on Tuesday tried to stop an oil tanker, which the UK sanctioned last week, for sailing without a flag against maritime rules, in international waters between Estonia and Finland in the Baltic Sea…

A hijack signal sent from a Panama-flagged petroleum products tanker off Iran was a false alarm, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Wednesday.Ambrey first reported the incident south of the busy Strait of Hormuz shipping lane on Tuesday without naming the "UAE-linked" vessel. It said it took place some 51 nautical miles northwest of the Iranian port of Bandar-e Jask.It dubbed the incident a "false hijack distress call" on Wednesday, adding that it "understands that…

Poland's military intervened after a ship from the Russian "shadow fleet" was seen performing suspicious manoeuvres near a power cable connecting Poland with Sweden, the Polish Prime Minister said on Wednesday.NATO has stepped up security in the Baltic following a string of incidents in which power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines have been damaged in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022."A Russian ship from the 'shadow fleet' covered by sanctions performed suspicious maneuvers near the power cable connecting Poland with Sweden…