After the US seized tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, 26 vessels of the "shadow fleet" changed their registration to Russian. This provides them with political cover and increases geopolitical risks.
The "shadow fleet" of tankers transporting illegal oil worldwide is rushing to secure potential protection under the Russian flag after the US began seizing vessels involved in the Venezuelan oil trade, UNN reports, citing Bloomberg.
Details
According to Starboard Maritime Intelligence, at least 26 vessels have changed their registration to Russian since the beginning of last month, with most of these changes occurring after the US seized the supertanker Skipper off the coast of Venezuela on December 10. This is 6 more than in November and only 14 in the previous five months.
About 13% of the nearly 1,500 tankers carrying Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil are already registered in Moscow, while the rest typically operate under the flags of smaller countries such as Panama, Guinea, and the Comoros. The use of false flags is also a common tactic of the "shadow fleet," allowing vessels to avoid compliance with regulations while appearing legitimate.
According to Charlie Brown, a senior advisor at United Against Nuclear Iran, which tracks the activities of the "shadow fleet," the recent rush by shipowners to register under the Russian flag is a calculation based on the belief that Moscow will provide political cover when other countries will not.
"This could offer a new potential solution for illicit 'shadow fleet' networks, but it also raises the stakes," he said. "Because it emphasizes that sanctions evasion is no longer just a problem of maritime compliance, but a strategic challenge involving state protection and geopolitical risks."
The US has already seized five tankers involved in the Venezuelan oil trade, and given US President Donald Trump's latest threat to impose tariffs on countries that buy Iranian goods, oil traders and shipowners are watching to see if the White House will pursue vessels carrying oil from the Islamic Republic.
The history and geographical spread of the 26 tankers that recently changed flags illustrate the growing risks. They are currently located all over the world, from the Baltic Sea to the Suez Canal and the Yellow Sea, although some of them may be falsifying their locations.
All of them are sanctioned by at least one Western government. Several names consistently emerge among current or former owners or managers: eight vessels are linked to Glory Shipping HK Ltd., registered in Hong Kong. Two Russian-registered firms – New Fleet Ltd. and North Fleet Ltd. – are each listed as new owners of three vessels, and their addresses appear to be in the same building as a unit of the Russian shipping company Sovcomflot in St. Petersburg, the publication writes.
Shadow oil tankers are massively switching to the Russian flag – WSJ12.01.26, 16:07 • 23506 views
