Japan Imposes First Sanctions on Russian Shadow Fleet Tankers
On October 2, 2026, Japan imposed its first sanctions against individual vessels linked to the Russian shadow fleet, placing 35 ships involved in oil exports or other maritime logistics during the war in Ukraine under restrictions. Intended to constrain Russia’s oil revenue and maritime logistics, the list comprises 31 crude oil or petroleum product tankers totaling 3.33 million DWT and four Ro-Ro or general/heavy-cargo ships totaling 37,018 DWT, for a combined total of 3.37 million DWT across all 35 vessels.
The sanctions target various capacity classes, affecting several parts of the Russian petroleum transport chain. Saga (IMO 9318553) and Serenade (IMO 9318541) each reach 46,941 DWT, while Premier (IMO 9577082) and Garnet (IMO 9577094) reach 74,581 and 74,548 DWT. Most of the tankers fall between 104,000 and 116,000 DWT.
Capacity Range and Age Profile
The five largest tankers account for 778,677 DWT, or 23.4% of the sanctioned tanker capacity: Komander (IMO 9271585) at 150,581 DWT, Lynx (IMO 9412347) at 156,630, Bond (IMO 9412335) at 156,838, Zodiak (IMO 9513139) at 156,532 and Respect (IMO 9422445) at 158,096. These ships are 274-275 m long and 48 m wide, placing substantial crude-carrying capacity in individual hulls.
The age profile is broader than the usual image of a shadow fleet composed exclusively of ageing tankers: most vessels date from 2003-2012, but Vladimir Vinogradov and Okeansky Prospect were built in 2022 and provide 112,960 and 112,651 DWT respectively. Both measure 250 × 44 m, adding 225,611 DWT of relatively new Russian tanker capacity to the sanctions list.
Shipbuilding History and Japanese Connection
At least six of the 35 Russia-linked vessels sanctioned were built in Japanese shipyards, including five crude oil tankers (Soufia 1 in 2003, Komander in 2004, Areia in 2006, Syndra in 2007 and Integrator in 2010) and the cargo ship Lev Yashin in 1986. The ships’ identity histories explain why Japan used IMO numbers.
The sanctions list also includes Kemerovo previously operating as NS Columbus, Krasnoyarsk as NS Creation, DF Peak as Kaliningrad and NS Captain, Solaris as Success and SCF Amur, Respect as Sirius and SCF Surgut, Carma as Cassiopeia and NS Clipper.
Original Article: Japan imposes first sanctions on 35 Russian shadow fleet tankers to cut oil export revenue — Armyrecognition