Gambia’s Maritime Administration Takes Action Against Shadow Fleet Tankers
Gambia’s maritime administration has begun removing most Russia-trading tankers flagged through its privately run ship registry as a broader crackdown on weak governance gains momentum.
Twenty tankers are now listed as falsely flagged with Gambia in the International Maritime Organization’s database. The IMO designates a vessel as falsely flagged when a flag administration confirms it is not legally registered.
Gambia has reportedly deflagged 72 ships for fraudulently issued certificates, according to public reports. That number has yet to appear in IMO records, which still list 104 ships flying Gambia’s flag, including nearly 40 dark-fleet tankers.
Regional Clean-Up Accelerates
The crackdown follows similar steps by Comoros, which began removing more than 60 tankers in July that it determined were falsely flying its flag. Both administrations moved amid mounting evidence of their importance to sanctioned dark-fleet operations, many of which involve vessels in poor condition with uncertain insurance and class status.
Tankers flying the Gambia and Sierra Leone flags — both run by the same private contractor in Cyprus — made up 40% of all tanker calls at Russia’s Baltic ports between October 1 and November 10, according to Windward analysis. Falsely flagged ships accounted for an additional 19%, putting more than two-thirds of tanker traffic through the Baltic Sea during that period under minimal governance or regulatory oversight.
Pressure Mounts on Fraudulent Registries
More than 550 sanctioned, Russia-trading vessels are now active, and Windward has identified 17 fraudulent registries servicing them. Nordic and Baltic states have begun targeting falsely flagged vessels transiting their coastal waters as part of intelligence-gathering operations, contacting ships by radio to verify flag and insurance information.
One tanker previously flagged to Gambia has already shifted to Cameroon — its fifth flag since February. The Aqua Titan (imo-9332781/”>IMO imo-9332781/”>9332781), a 2006-built aframax sanctioned by the EU and UK, was sailing through the English Channel on November 23 with Russian crude while signaling Cameroon’s flag. The ship was among more than 60 vessels removed from the Comoros registry earlier in the year. After being declared falsely flagged in early October, it moved briefly to Gambia before the IMO again listed it as falsely flagged. It began signaling Cameroon on November 3.
The move signals rising diplomatic pressure from the United States and Europe to confront safety, security, and environmental risks tied to dark-fleet vessels that seek permissive registries with limited expertise or oversight to evade sanctions.
Original Article: Gambia Deletes Shadow Fleet Tankers in Second Flag Governance Crackdown — Windward