Ransom Standoff Deepens Around Hijacked Somali-Held Coaster
A $2m ransom demand, unconfirmed reports of strikes on boats approaching the hijacked coaster Lutuf, and a regional warning against payment have complicated the standoff.
Sanctioned Tanker Caroline Bezengi Still Leaking Oil Off Oman
The beached shadow-fleet tanker is settling deeper in the water off the Hallaniyat Islands, and salvage work cannot begin until the Khareef monsoon eases.
Syria and Myanmar Appear as False Flags on Russia-Linked Tankers
Russia-linked tankers claimed Syrian and Myanmar flags for the first time in the second quarter, as the IMO's list of falsely flagged vessels climbed to 580.
Dutch Council of State Questions Legal Basis for Shadow Fleet Detentions
The Council of State says the international law of the sea gives no direct basis for the Dutch power to detain suspected shadow-fleet tankers at sea and take them into port.
Russian Frigate Escorts Gazprom LNG Carrier Portovyy Along the Norwegian Coast
The Northern Fleet frigate Admiral Kasatonov is escorting the Gazprom LNG carrier Portovyy from the Baltic toward Murmansk, in the latest naval protection of a Russian commercial voyage.
Landlocked Kyrgyz Republic Warns IMO That Its Flag Is Being Faked
Bishkek told the IMO it has authorised nobody to register or operate seagoing vessels under its flag, the latest state to find its registry impersonated.
German Court Leaves Eventin Crude Cargo Sale Blocked as Case Drags
The Hamburg Finance Court has closed the expedited track and will wait for the main ruling, keeping customs barred from confiscating or selling the crude.
Pirates Seize Sanctioned Product Tanker East of Al Mukalla
A 32,238 dwt product tanker sanctioned by OFAC in December 2025 is being steered toward Bosaso after six armed pirates boarded it 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla.
Sanctioned Ships Account for 58 Percent of Tanker Scrapping in 2026
Sanctioned vessels are taking an extraordinary share of the tanker recycling market this year, with 22 blacklisted tankers making up 58 percent of all reported tanker demolition sales.
Russia Builds an LNG Shadow Fleet Ahead of the EU's 2027 Ban
Russia is assembling a shadow fleet of LNG carriers ahead of the EU's complete ban on Russian LNG imports from January 2027, buying up ageing tonnage the industry is already retiring.
Oil From Grounded Shadow Fleet Tanker Comes Ashore in Oman
Crude from the grounded Suezmax Caroline Bezengi is washing ashore in Oman, where crews are cleaning the coastline by hand while 40-knot winds keep salvage vessels away from the wreck.
Putin Threatens Mirror Response To EU Seizure Of Shadow Fleet Cargoes
President Vladimir Putin has promised retaliation against any European move to seize merchant ships carrying Russian cargo, describing the measures as piracy and banditry and saying Moscow would respond in kind.
Oil From Grounded Tanker Begins Washing Ashore In Oman
Oil from a tanker grounded off Oman has begun reaching the shoreline, with estimates of the affected area ranging from 400 to more than 2,000 square kilometres.
Troubled shadow VLCC closes in on endgame
The 2002-built VLCC Era — formerly Marinera and Bella 1 — has reappeared under the Comoros flag with a demolition-linked manager, suggesting the much-renamed shadow-fleet tanker may be nearing its final voyage.
United States Sends Seized Shadow Fleet Tankers For Demolition
The United States has begun sending ageing tankers seized in its sanctions enforcement campaign to demolition rather than allowing them back into circulation.
Investigation Links Dozens Of Sanctioned Tanker Operators To One Email Domain
An analytics firm has traced nearly two dozen nominally independent operators of sanctioned tankers back to a single private email domain also used by Russia's state shipping group.
Sanctioned Tanker Leaking Crude Off Oman After Onboard Blast
A crude oil tanker linked to Russia's sanctioned export trade is leaking cargo off the coast of Oman, and satellite imagery indicates the slick around the vessel has spread significantly over recent days.
Italian navy boards falsely flagged shadow fleet tanker off Sicily
An Italian-led European Union naval mission has boarded a sanctioned tanker linked to Russia's shadow fleet in international waters west of Sicily, the second such operation in less than two weeks.
UK court refuses bail to captain of detained shadow fleet tanker
A British court has refused bail to the master of the first shadow fleet tanker detained by the United Kingdom, with trial set for December.
EU adds more than 40 shadow fleet vessels to sanctions list
The European Union has added more than 40 shadow fleet vessels to its sanctions list, several of them regular visitors to Arctic waters.
Washington sanctions Iranian insurance scheme for Hormuz transits
Washington has sanctioned two Iranian companies selling mandatory insurance to ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, along with eight tankers.
Ukrainian drone strikes force a halt to shipping on the Sea of Azov
Russia has suspended shipping through the Sea of Azov after a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia-linked vessels over the course of a week.
Ukraine's tanker and refinery strikes deepen Russia's fuel crisis
Ukraine has escalated its campaign against Russian shipping and oil infrastructure, striking dozens of shadow-fleet tankers and another major refinery.
Recycler sees US license as a route to retire shadow-fleet ships
Ship recycler GMS says a US Treasury license allowing the scrapping of sanctioned vessels could offer a legal path to permanently retire ageing shadow-fleet tankers.
France fines shadow-fleet tanker owner EUR 1m over false flag
French prosecutors have fined the owner of the shadow-fleet tanker Tagor EUR 1m after the vessel was detained in the Atlantic on suspicion of sailing under a false flag. The 2004-built tanker was stopped by French autho…
France brings detained Deliver tanker to Marseille in flag probe
France has brought the detained tanker Deliver to an anchorage near Marseille for a prosecutor-led investigation into an alleged flag offence, part of a wider European crackdown on shadow-fleet tankers.
France boards another Russian shadow fleet tanker off Sicily
France has intercepted the Russia-linked tanker Deliver off Sicily, stepping up Europe's campaign against the shadow fleet used to move sanctioned Russian oil.
Seized tanker tests the limits of shadow fleet enforcement
Russia has warned of legal action if the UK sells crude from the seized shadow-fleet tanker Smyrtos, in a case testing how far Europe will go to enforce sanctions at sea.
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