EU Forces Board a Sixth Tanker in the Mediterranean for Flag Verification
Italian forces boarded the crude tanker Sun from helicopters and launches on 30 August, the sixth flag verification by EUNAVFOR IRINI since its mandate was extended this year.
Iranian Tankers Ride at Anchor off Sri Lanka and Malaysia With Nowhere to Discharge
A US naval blockade of Iranian ports has left a fleet of empty tankers stranded at anchorages off Galle and east of Johore, most of them unladen and many under sanctions.
Urals Crude Returns to VLCCs for Asia as Freight Costs Climb
Reduced Hormuz traffic and eased Venezuela measures have freed up part of the shadow VLCC fleet, opening the trade again.
EU Mission Boards Tanker MV Sun in Sixth Shadow Fleet Interception
A boarding team went on to the MV Sun for a flag check on 30 August, the sixth shadow fleet vessel entered by EU operations in recent months.
Royal Navy Shadows Russian Escort Group Through the Channel
Russian activity around the UK is up 25 percent over the first eight months of 2026, and shadow fleet transits off Ireland's west coast have almost tripled.
Hijacked Tanker Showed Years of Tracking Gaps Before Pirate Seizure
A tanker now held by Somali pirates went dark for stretches of up to 102 days across 2024 and 2025, long before the hijacking, tracking data shows.
Arctic LNG 2 Fleet Grows to 18 Carriers as China Shipments Climb
Novatek and its partners now run a fleet of at least 18 gas carriers serving the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project, with 31 shipments delivered to China this year.
Kongsberg Doubles Satellite Fleet Tracking Dark Vessels and AIS Spoofing
Kongsberg will add three satellites to its N3X maritime surveillance constellation in early 2027, doubling the fleet to six as it expands coverage for detecting dark vessels and AIS manipulation.
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.
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.
Covert Hormuz Crossings Are Holding Global Oil Prices in Check
Middle Eastern producers are shuttling crude out of the Persian Gulf undetected and transferring it to tankers in the Gulf of Oman, keeping Brent between $80 and $90 through August.
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.
Sanctioned Tanker Transits The Bosphorus Wrapped In Anti-Drone Netting
A sanctioned Suezmax tanker carrying about a million barrels of Russian crude has passed through the Bosphorus visibly modified to withstand drone attack, according to observers who photographed the vessel from the Istanbul shoreline.
Russia Deploys Floating Sentry Positions Against Drone Attacks
Russian forces have begun deploying floating fortified sentry positions in waters where Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels have operated, in the latest of a series of improvised measures intended to protect infrastructure and shipping
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.
Sovcomflot Assembles Sanctioned Tanker Convoy For Arctic Run To Asia
Russia's state shipping company is assembling a flotilla of sanctioned tankers in the Kara Sea for a convoy passage to Asia along the Northern Sea Route, reportedly carrying more than 950,000 tonnes of crude.
Ukraine Agrees To Spare Tankers Lifting Kazakh Crude At Novorossiysk
Ukraine has agreed to stop attacking non-Russian tankers and Black Sea infrastructure tied to Kazakhstan's oil exports, after United States officials brokered a deal covering the Caspian Pipeline Consortium terminal near Novorossiysk.
Tanker With Russian Naphtha Turns Back From Bab El-Mandeb And Sails Round Africa
A Panama-flagged tanker carrying Russian naphtha attempted to pass through the Bab el-Mandeb strait in the final week of July before changing course to sail around Africa instead, according to trade sources and ship-tracking data.
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.
Sanctioned Russian cargo ships carry military equipment to West Africa
Sanctioned Russian cargo ships have been delivering military equipment to West Africa for onward movement to Mali, according to an investigation combining vessel tracking data, satellite imagery and state television footage.
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.
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…
Danish yard becomes last in Europe servicing Russia’s Arctic LNG fleet
Denmark’s Fayard has become the last European yard maintaining Russia’s Arc7 icebreaking LNG carriers, ahead of an EU ban on such services from 2027.
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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