Shadow Fleet Ships Moving Sanctioned Oil Reflagged to Russia at Rising Rate
Forty ships accused of belonging to a large “shadow fleet” moving sanctioned oil for Venezuela and others were reflagged to Russia last year in an apparent attempt to gain Kremlin protection from American seizure.
Analysis by the shipping intelligence publication Lloyd’s List suggests that of those, at least 17 suspicious vessels joined the Russian registry over the past month, compared with 15 ships in the previous five months of 2025. The sudden flurry of activity appears to be linked to Donald Trump’s announcement last month of what he called a US “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers in and out of Venezuela.
Shadow Fleet Definition
The term “shadow fleet” is defined by Lloyd’s List as ships for which deceptive practices are used in order to allow them to transport goods – including oil and gas – in violation of sanctions and price caps. This fleet transports an estimated 3.7m barrels of oil a day, representing 65% of Russia’s seaborne oil trade, and generates an estimated $87bn (£69bn) to $100bn (£80bn) annual revenue.
Recent Seizures
On Thursday, a ship subjected to sanctions by the US over concerns it had been involved in distributing illicit Russian oil was identified as sailing through the Channel under a false name and Cameroonian flag. Tracking data suggested it was heading towards Russia after departing from the Star Rafineri refinery, near İzmir, western Turkey, on 30 December.
In early December, US special forces also seized the Skipper, a tanker off Venezuela that the US treasury had placed under sanctions in 2022 after claims it had been smuggling oil on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah. The Marinera, another vessel, was boarded by US special forces on Monday, despite Russia dispatching a submarine to escort it.
Analysis and Response
Bridget Diakun, a senior risk and compliance analyst at Lloyd’s List Intelligence, said that as of October there were 1,423 ships within the shadow fleet suspected of moving sanctioned goods for Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. The fleet was growing by about 10 vessels a month, the data suggested.
Douglas Alexander, the secretary of state for Scotland, defended the UK’s involvement in the seizure of the Marinera after Russia claimed that this was a breach of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Alexander emphasized that the ship is part of the shadow fleet that funds Russia’s war effort in Ukraine and that the UK will not support illegal activities.
Original Article: ‘Shadow fleet’ ships moving sanctioned oil reflagged to Russia at rising rate — The Guardian