Cameroon ship registry suspension — FleetLeaks data release: 53 Cameroon-flagged tankers, 2,168 AIS events (180 days), and 45 flag changes since 2020.
The Maritime Executive reported on February 13 that Cameroon has suspended its international ship registry, citing fraudulent registrations. The suspension follows EU and IMO pressure over shadow fleet tankers using the flag as a flag of convenience. Cameroon's Prime Minister convened a meeting to identify and deregister vessels linked to sanctions evasion, and Clarksons Research notes a 126% increase in Cameroon registrations, Equasis now lists over 500 ships under the flag.
Here's what FleetLeaks can contribute to the conversation: a working watchlist of Cameroon-flagged tankers currently in our AIS monitoring system, the behavioral signals we've recorded over the past six months, and the flag-hopping pattern visible in our registry change detection. The goal is simple, make the Cameroon ship registry suspension discussion concrete with data you can reuse.
What we checked
- AIS vessel cache: All Cameroon-flagged vessels currently tracked in FleetLeaks monitoring. This provides a baseline list for the Cameroon ship registry suspension.
- AIS events (180 days): Zone dwell, AIS loitering, AIS gap, and STS proximity detections involving Cameroon-flagged vessels across 172 monitoring zones.
- Flag-change detection: Published registry history showing flag changes to or from the Cameroon flag, tracked since 2020, to measure churn after the Cameroon ship registry suspension.
Cameroon ship registry suspension: Key numbers
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| Cameroon-flagged vessels in AIS cache | 83 |
| Of which: tankers | 53 |
| AIS events involving Cameroon vessels (180 days) | 2,168 |
| Unique Cameroon vessels generating events | 48 |
| Cameroon vessels detected in Russian export zones | 20 |
| Flag changes to/from Cameroon (all time) | 45 |
| Cameroon-flag vessels currently sanctioned | 22 |
These totals are not proof of wrongdoing. They are a starting point for analysts tracking vessel behavior and registry churn in the context of the Cameroon ship registry suspension.
How to use this data
- Start with cameroon-tankers-ais-cache.csv (53 tankers) for a complete Cameroon-flag tanker roster with vessel specs and last-seen timestamps.
- Filter cameroon-ais-events-180d.csv by zone, focus on
russia_baltic_transit,russia_primorsk,russia_ust_luga, andosint_danish_straitsfor Russian export flow exposure. - Cross-check against cameroon-sanctioned-vessels.csv (22 designated) to separate sanctioned from not-yet-designated.
- Monitor cameroon-flag-changes.csv (45 changes) for reflagging activity. If flag churn accelerates after the Cameroon ship registry suspension, this file is where it will show up first.
Event breakdown (180 days)
| Event type | Count |
|---|---|
| Zone dwell | 1,730 |
| Loiter | 364 |
| AIS gap | 72 |
| STS proximity detection | 2 |
Top monitoring zones
| Zone | Events |
|---|---|
| Russia Baltic Transit | 653 |
| Danish Straits | 162 |
| Ust-Luga | 88 |
| Primorsk | 70 |
| Primorsk Approach | 41 |
| Gulf of Finland Central | 27 |
| Bosphorus | 26 |
| Novorossiysk | 23 |
1. Sanctioned Cameroon-flag vessels
22 Cameroon-flagged vessels are currently designated by one or more sanctions authorities in the FleetLeaks database. 21 are tankers, one (COMETA) is classified as general cargo. Designation dates range from May 2023 to October 2025. This subset matters because it shows how often the Cameroon ship registry suspension discussion intersects with already-designated hulls.
| Vessel | IMO | Type | Designated |
|---|---|---|---|
| BODHI | imo-9144782/”>9144782 | Oil Tanker | 2024-06-25 |
| Bonifacy | imo-9284726/”>9284726 | Oil Products Tanker | 2025-05-06 |
| Cindy | imo-9270517/”>9270517 | Oil Tanker | 2025-05-21 |
| Ederra | imo-9258026/”>9258026 | Oil Products Tanker | 2025-02-24 |
| Fast Kathy | imo-9408205/”>9408205 | Oil Tanker | 2024-12-17 |
| FORTIS | imo-9395379/”>9395379 | Crude Oil Tanker | 2025-05-06 |
| Gogland | imo-9430210/”>9430210 | Oil Tanker | 2025-06-17 |
| Hannah | imo-9261619/”>9261619 | Crude Oil Tanker | 2025-05-06 |
| JUN TONG | imo-9405057/”>9405057 | Oil Tanker | 2025-05-06 |
| Nichole | imo-9332822/”>9332822 | Oil Tanker | 2025-02-24 |
| NOCTIS | imo-9258868/”>9258868 | Oil Tanker | 2024-12-17 |
| ORION | imo-9131357/”>9131357 | Crude Oil Tanker | 2025-10-15 |
| Rangler | imo-9206671/”>9206671 | Oil Tanker | 2025-05-06 |
| RCELEBRA | imo-9286073/”>9286073 | Crude Oil Tanker | 2025-02-25 |
| Sauri | imo-9266475/”>9266475 | Oil Products Tanker | 2025-02-24 |
| Swiftsea Rider | imo-9318539/”>9318539 | Oil Tanker | 2024-12-17 |
| VIKRAM | imo-9205067/”>9205067 | Oil Tanker | 2025-05-06 |
| Zevs | imo-9168946/”>9168946 | Crude Oil Tanker | 2025-05-06 |
| Aditya | imo-9323314/”>9323314 | Oil/Chemical Tanker | 2025-10-24 |
| Bolu | imo-9439539/”>9439539 | Oil Products Tanker | 2025-10-24 |
| Caroline Bezengi | imo-9224439/”>9224439 | Crude Oil Tanker | 2025-10-24 |
| COMETA¹ | imo-8315499/”>8315499 | General Cargo | 2023-05-19 |
¹ COMETA is the only non-tanker among the 22 sanctioned Cameroon-flag vessels. Designated under Syria-related sanctions (May 2023); previously flagged Syria → Cameroon → Syria → Cameroon.
2. Cameroon tankers in Russian export monitoring zones
20 Cameroon-flagged tankers have been detected in Russian export-related monitoring zones over the past 180 days. These zones cover the Baltic loading terminals (Primorsk, Ust-Luga), Baltic transit corridors, Gulf of Finland approaches, Novorossiysk, and associated chokepoints including the Danish Straits and Bosphorus.
Of these 20 vessels, 5 are already sanctioned. The remaining 15 are not designated but are generating AIS behavioral signals in zones associated with Russian crude and product export flows. We will keep this list updated as the Cameroon ship registry suspension plays out and registry churn becomes visible.
STS proximity detection
On February 8, 2026, an STS proximity event was detected between BARENTS (imo-9384447/”>IMO imo-9384447/”>9384447, Russia-flagged) and TEMIRO (imo-9209972/”>IMO imo-9209972/”>9209972, Cameroon-flagged) in monitoring zone discovered_015. Confidence: 75–85%. TEMIRO is a Cameroon-flagged oil products tanker that reflagged from Palau in March 2025.
3. Flag changes into Cameroon
15 vessels changed their flag registration to Cameroon during 2025. The previous flags form a recognizable flag-hopping pattern: Palau (4), Comoros (2), Mozambique (2), plus Barbados, Gabon, Hong Kong, Sierra Leone, and Vanuatu. This is the churn pattern we will monitor most closely following the Cameroon ship registry suspension.
| Vessel | IMO | Previous flag | Effective date | Sanctioned? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aditya | imo-9323314/”>9323314 | Gabon | 2025-12 | Yes |
| Bolu | imo-9439539/”>9439539 | Barbados | 2025-11 | Yes |
| Caroline Bezengi | imo-9224439/”>9224439 | Palau | 2025-11 | Yes |
| Yodan | imo-9304356/”>9304356 | Vanuatu | 2025-10 | No |
| DG HONG KONG | imo-9436018/”>9436018 | Mozambique | 2025-10 | No |
| Hannah | imo-9261619/”>9261619 | Mozambique | 2025-09 | Yes |
| Gogland | imo-9430210/”>9430210 | Palau | 2025-09 | Yes |
| Swiftsea Rider | imo-9318539/”>9318539 | Comoros | 2025-08 | Yes |
| Fast Kathy | imo-9408205/”>9408205 | Comoros | 2025-08 | Yes |
| VIKRAM | imo-9205067/”>9205067 | Sierra Leone | 2025-07 | Yes |
| RCELEBRA | imo-9286073/”>9286073 | Hong Kong | 2025-06 | Yes |
| Temiro | imo-9209972/”>9209972 | Palau | 2025-03 | No |
| Ederra | imo-9258026/”>9258026 | Palau | 2025-03 | Yes |
| Sauri | imo-9266475/”>9266475 | Palau | 2025-03 | Yes |
| ROZMARINE | imo-9250531/”>9250531 | Barbados | 2025-01 | No |
11 of the 15 vessels that reflagged to Cameroon in 2025 are now sanctioned. The Cameroon registry absorbed vessels from Palau, Comoros, Mozambique, and other low-oversight flags, and most were designated within months of the flag change.
In the same period, 4 vessels changed flag away from Cameroon, to Gambia, Panama, Sierra Leone, and Comoros, indicating the registry functioned as both an entry and exit point in flag-hopping sequences.
What we’re watching next
- Reflagging spike. After the Cameroon ship registry suspension, vessels currently under Cameroon flag may begin appearing under new shadow fleet tanker registries. Our flag-change detection will capture these as registry history updates.
- Identity churn. Name, MMSI, or manager changes on Cameroon-flagged hulls, often a precursor or companion to flag changes.
- Event continuity. Whether the same hulls continue generating AIS events in Russian export zones under a different flag.
Disclaimer
These signals are AIS-derived behavioral indicators. Zone detections indicate AIS position proximity to monitored areas, not confirmed port calls or terminal visits. STS proximity detections indicate vessels observed in close proximity, they are not proof of cargo operations. Flag-change records reflect published registry history and may lag real-world changes. Sanctions status reflects public designations as of the date noted. Nothing in this dataset constitutes evidence of wrongdoing. These indicators identify vessels that may warrant additional scrutiny by compliance professionals, regulators, and researchers.
Downloads
Data as of February 14, 2026. Derived from FleetLeaks monitoring and public registry/sanctions disclosures.
FleetLeaks is an independent, volunteer-run maritime intelligence project tracking sanctioned vessels and shadow fleet operations. About FleetLeaks →