Besiktas Likid’s Tanker Operations Under Scrutiny After Senegal Blast
Several tankers operated by Turkey’s Besiktas Likid, the technical manager of the Mersin, were sanctioned by Ukraine in the past for their involvement in ship-to-ship transfers linked to the so-called dark fleet, according to shipping records and Ukrainian government listings. The sanctions were imposed due to the company’s participation in nighttime transfers and voyages with limited transponder visibility – practices associated with the shadow fleet’s efforts to move Russian crude outside Western oversight.
The Mersin itself was not sanctioned, but shipping databases show the vessel has repeatedly carried Russian crude. The vessel visited ports in both the Baltic and Black Seas carrying Russian cargoes to Brazil and Turkey. Mersin traveled to Taman in August, Novorossiysk and Tuapse in June, all in the Black Sea, and Ust-Luga in the Baltic Sea in February, vessel tracking data show.
Sanctions Records Reveal Deceptive Practices
Sanctions records show Besiktas-operated ships were cited for participating in deceptive, high-risk practices transferring crude oil to sanctioned vessels during STS operations. The company’s tanker Esentepe engaged in such practices, transferring crude oil to sanctioned vessels while carrying cargoes for Russian firms Lukoil and Rosneft after the implementation of the price cap policy. Similarly, Besiktas Kocatepe disabled its Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder in support of dark activities near Russian ports, and conducted ship-to-ship (STS) transfers in the vicinity of Cyprus, records show.
Mersin’s AIS Track Raises Concerns
Mersin’s AIS track over the past 12 months. (Source: MagicPort Maritime Intelligence)
The vessel’s AIS track shows a pattern of repeated liftings of Russian oil from Baltic and Black Sea ports, placing it in the same commercial ecosystem as operators that facilitate Russia’s sanctioned energy flows. Several vessel tracking sites highlight Mersin’s potential sanctions risk due to its repeated port calls in Russian waters.
Broader Fleet Patterns Under Scrutiny
Analysts say Besiktas’s broader fleet patterns – including repeated liftings of Russian oil from Baltic and Black Sea ports – place it in the same commercial ecosystem as operators that facilitate Russia’s sanctioned energy flows. Several vessel tracking sites highlight Mersin’s potential sanctions risk due to its repeated port calls in Russian waters.
The company owns or operates several other oil tankers of the same size with similar shipping history visiting key Russian oil ports in the Baltic and Black Seas. Tanker Hatay departed from Primorsk just last week, Harbiye and Turkeli departed from Novorossiysk in October and June.
Original Article: Tanker Blast Off Senegal Puts a Dark-Fleet Operator Back in the Hot Seat — Gcaptain