Archive
Shadow fleet news in 2024
149 summaries of reporting on sanctioned seaborne trade in 2024, newest first.
Dec · Nov · Oct · Sep · Aug · Jul · Jun · May · Apr · Mar · Feb · Jan
December 2024
- Owner of seized tanker Eagle S asks Helsinki court to lift seizure
The UAE-based owner of the Eagle S, Caravella LLC FZ, has asked Helsinki District Court to cancel the seizure of the tanker, which Finnish police and coast guard detained on suspicion of…
- First supertanker sent for scrap in two years is an Iran-trade dark ship
The Amor, a 24-year-old Cameroon-flagged supertanker, has become the first VLCC registered for demolition since late 2022 and is to be scrapped at Alang in India, Bloomberg reports. The ship…
- NATO to boost Baltic Sea presence after Eagle S cable damage
NATO will strengthen its military presence in the Baltic Sea after the damage to the Estlink 2 power cable and four internet cables, Secretary General Mark Rutte said, according to Reuters.…
- Finland seizes tanker Eagle S after Estlink 2 cable damage
Finnish authorities have seized the Cook Islands-flagged tanker Eagle S after the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia was damaged on Christmas Day, USNI News reports. Police and…
- Sanctioned LNG carrier Pioneer stores Arctic LNG 2 cargo after failing to find buyer
The LNG carrier Pioneer, which loaded the first cargo from Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project in early August, docked on 25 December at the Koryak floating storage unit in Kamchatka after a…
- US targets eight firms and nine tankers moving Iranian oil
The US Treasury and State Department targeted eight entities and nine vessels on 19 December over what Treasury describes as a network moving Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals. Treasury…
- Reuters: Revolutionary Guards control up to half of Iran's oil exports
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps now controls up to 50% of the country's oil exports, up from about 20% three years ago, according to six Western officials, security experts and Iranian…
- Danish intelligence warns Russia's navy may escort shadow fleet tankers
Denmark's Defence Intelligence Service has warned that Russia's navy may start escorting shadow fleet tankers through the Danish straits, Bloomberg reports. "If this happens, it will increase…
- UK sanctions 20 more tankers, taking its shadow fleet tally past 100 vessels
The UK sanctioned 20 more tankers on 17 December, European Pravda reports, bringing the number of vessels it has sanctioned to more than 100, including 93 oil tankers. Those named include Ocean…
- EU's 15th sanctions package lists 52 more vessels, taking total to 79
The EU adopted its 15th package of sanctions against Russia on 16 December, adding 52 vessels from third countries to its list and bringing the total to 79, the Council of the EU said. Listed…
- EU sanctions Yamal LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie
The EU's 15th sanctions package, adopted on 16 December, includes the Arc7 ice-class LNG carrier Christophe de Margerie, the first time the bloc has targeted Yamal LNG by listing a ship serving…
- Twelve European countries agree to check insurance of suspected shadow fleet tankers
Twelve European countries have agreed to coordinate checks requiring suspected shadow fleet vessels to show proof of insurance as they pass through the English Channel, the Great Belt, the Sound…
- Two Russian tankers wrecked in Kerch Strait storm, spilling fuel oil
The Russian tankers Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 were badly damaged in a storm in the Kerch Strait on 15 December, each carrying about 4,000 tonnes of fuel, the Kyiv Independent reports.…
- Rosneft delays Arctic Vostok Oil project, citing sanctions and tanker shortage
Rosneft has pushed back the start of its Vostok Oil project on Siberia's Arctic coast to 2026, citing Western sanctions and a lack of ice-capable tankers, gCaptain reports. The project needs…
- CREA: shadow tankers carried 80% of Russia's seaborne crude in November
Shadow tankers carried 80% of Russia's seaborne crude oil by volume in November, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) says in its monthly analysis. Of 369 vessels that exported…
- Iranian crude shipments to Syria halt after Assad's fall, tanker Lotus turns back
Iran's crude exports to Syria have stopped after rebels took power in Damascus, S&P Global Commodity Insights reports. The laden tanker Lotus turned back in the Gulf of Suez on 7 December as…
- US Treasury targets 35 entities and vessels in Iran's shadow fleet
The US Treasury designated 35 entities and vessels it says form part of the network moving Iran's petroleum, describing the action as a response to Iran's 1 October attack on Israel and its…
- UK-sanctioned tanker Attica sails around Scotland instead of the Channel
The Aframax tanker Attica, sanctioned by the UK in November for carrying Russian oil, is sailing past Shetland rather than through the English Channel, Bloomberg reports, citing tracking data.…
- US tanker sanctions disrupt Iran's oil route to China
US sanctions on tankers carrying Iranian crude are disrupting the trade's transfer leg off Malaysia, where cargoes are usually moved to other ships before going to China, Bloomberg reports.…
November 2024
- Panama moves to strike off six tankers sanctioned by the UK
The Panama Maritime Authority has started fast-track procedures to cancel the registration of six Panama-flagged vessels sanctioned by the UK on 25 November, gCaptain reports. It is acting under…
- UK sanctions 30 more shadow fleet tankers and two Russian insurers
The UK sanctioned 30 oil tankers and the Russian insurers Alfastrakhovanie and VSK on 25 November, the Foreign Office said, bringing the number of tankers it has sanctioned to 73. The government…
- Russian fuel transfers move to new spots off Greek islands after navy drills
Ship-to-ship transfers of Russian fuel have moved to new locations off Greece after naval drills displaced them from the Laconian Gulf, Bloomberg reports. The activity, about 1 million barrels a…
- North Korea may have received over a million barrels of Russian oil, Open Source Centre finds
North Korean tankers may have carried more than a million barrels of oil products from Russia since March if fully laden, against a UN cap of 500,000 barrels a year, according to an analysis by…
- UK warns of forged origin certificates used to disguise Russian oil
The UK's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has warned that Russian oil is being passed off as non-Russian using forged or fraudulent certificates of origin, getting round the…
- UK freezes assets of Iran's state shipping line and sanctions Russian cargo ship
The UK has imposed asset freezes on Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and Iran Air, and placed shipping sanctions on the Russian cargo ship Port Olya-3, gCaptain reports. The…
- EU sanctions Iran's state shipping line over missile and drone transfers to Russia
The EU has sanctioned Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and its director Mohammad Reza Khiabani, along with Russian shipping firms MG Flot, VTS Broker and Arapax, over Iran's…
- Greece extends naval drills that disrupted Russian oil transfers in Laconian Gulf
Greece's navy has extended for a sixth time the naval exercises in the Laconian Gulf that have hampered ship-to-ship transfers of Russian oil, Bloomberg reports. The drills, which were due to…
- Sovcomflot revenue falls as Western sanctions on tankers bite
Russia's leading tanker company Sovcomflot reported a 22.2% year-on-year fall in revenue to $1.22 billion for the first nine months, Reuters reports, with earnings before interest, tax,…
- US sanctions Syrian conglomerate's network and tankers over Iranian oil sales
The US Treasury sanctioned 26 companies, individuals and vessels linked to the Al-Qatirji Company, a Syrian conglomerate it says earns hundreds of millions of dollars for Iran's IRGC-Qods Force…
- Signal of scrapped tanker Pablo reappears in transfer with Venezuelan state tanker
The transponder signal of the Pablo, a tanker sent for scrap after an explosion off Malaysia in May 2023, came back to life in the Gulf of Guinea in October, Bloomberg reports, citing S&P Global…
- Russian oil cargo appears to have been switched between tankers off Ceuta
A cargo of Russian oil appears to have been transferred between tankers near the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, reviving a practice Madrid believed it had stopped, according to Bloomberg tracking…
- US arrests Turkish national accused of smuggling Venezuelan oil
US authorities have arrested Taskin Torlak, a 37-year-old Turkish national, in Miami as he tried to leave the country, gCaptain reports. He is charged with conspiring to violate US sanctions on…
- Venezuelan oil exports reach four-year high in October under US licences
Venezuela's oil exports climbed 21% from September to a four-year high in October, averaging 947,387 barrels per day of crude and fuel, Hydrocarbon Processing reports, citing PDVSA documents and…
- Mexico steps up fuel shipments to Cuba as Venezuelan and Russian supplies dwindle
Mexico has become Cuba's key fuel supplier as deliveries from Venezuela and Russia fall away, the Associated Press reports. About 412,000 barrels of Pemex crude reached the port of Cienfuegos,…
October 2024
- Sanctioned LNG carriers with Arctic LNG 2 cargoes gather off Russia's Pacific coast
Three sanctioned tankers loaded with gas from Arctic LNG 2, the Nova Energy, Pioneer and Asya Energy, are anchored off Russia's far eastern coast, Bloomberg reports via gCaptain. The Pioneer is…
- Tanker Ceres I heads for China months after collision off Singapore
The VLCC Ceres I, which collided with the products tanker Hafnia Nile near Malaysia and Singapore in July, is heading to Zhoushan in eastern China, Bloomberg reports, citing ship-tracking data.…
- Panama adopts decree to cancel registration of sanctioned ships
Panama has adopted Executive Decree No. 512, published on 18 October, allowing the immediate cancellation of the registration and navigation licences of vessels on US, UN, EU or UK sanctions…
- UK sanctions 18 oil tankers and four LNG carriers in its largest shadow fleet package
The UK sanctioned 18 oil tankers and four LNG carriers on 17 October in what it called its largest package yet against Russia's shadow fleet. The government says the 18 oil tankers carried an…
- US targets tankers carrying Iranian oil for Houthi financier Sa'id al-Jamal
The US Treasury designated 18 companies, individuals and vessels on 17 October for shipping Iranian oil on behalf of Sa'id al-Jamal, a Houthi financial official. Treasury alleges that in…
- US blocks 23 tankers after Iran's missile attack on Israel
The US Treasury expanded sanctions on Iran's petroleum and petrochemical sectors on 11 October, designating ten entities and 17 vessels, while the State Department designated six entities and…
- CREA puts cost of a shadow tanker spill at up to $1.6 billion
Cleaning up an oil spill from a typical Russian 'shadow' tanker could cost from $859 million in Europe to $1.6 billion in Southeast Asia, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA)…
- Empty Iranian tankers move away from Kharg Island as Israel weighs response
Several large tankers have left the waters around Kharg Island, Iran's main crude export terminal, according to TankerTrackers.com data and satellite images cited by Offshore Technology. Images…
- US sanctions two tankers in Houthi procurement action
The US Treasury sanctioned Houthi weapons procurement networks on 2 October, including Marshall Islands-registered Gemini Marine Limited and two crude tankers it owns and operates. Treasury says…
September 2024
- Yle finds nearly half of Russian oil tankers in the Gulf of Finland belong to the shadow fleet
About 600 tankers carrying Russian oil passed through the Gulf of Finland between January and May 2024, and 283 of them belonged to Russia's shadow fleet, according to an investigation by…
- Carnegie analyst says Russia's tanker fleet is less separate than the 'shadow' label suggests
A quarter of the world's tanker fleet has carried Russian cargo in 2024, according to an analysis by Sergey Vakulenko for the Carnegie Endowment. Of 2,849 oil tankers examined using AIS tracking…
- Gabon-flagged tankers carry Russian crude along the Northern Sea Route
Tankers registered in Gabon are carrying Russian crude through Arctic waters on the Northern Sea Route, The Barents Observer reports. The Sai Baba loaded oil in Murmansk in mid-September and was…
- US sanctions tankers moving Iranian oil and gas to Syria and East Asia
The US Treasury designated more than a dozen entities and vessels on 25 September over shipments of Iranian crude and liquefied petroleum gas to Syria and East Asia that it says benefit the…
- Sovcomflot says Western tanker sanctions make the oil trade less safe
Russia's state tanker operator Sovcomflot has argued that Western sanctions on its vessels are making the oil trade less safe, Bloomberg reports via gCaptain. The company said the restrictions…
- UK sanctions ten more tankers it links to Russia's shadow fleet
The UK sanctioned ten tankers on 11 September, its third round of designations against individual vessels, bringing the number of shadow fleet ships it has sanctioned to 25. The Foreign Office…
- US blocks four Russian Caspian ships over Iranian missile deliveries
The US Treasury sanctioned Iran Air, Iranian logistics firms and ten individuals on 10 September in response to Iran's delivery of close-range ballistic missiles to Russia, and identified four…
- US sanctions two more LNG carriers linked to Arctic LNG 2
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned two more LNG carriers, Mulan and New Energy, and two shipping companies on 5 September over their links to Russia's Arctic LNG 2…
- OSW says Novatek is building a shadow fleet of LNG carriers for Arctic LNG 2
Novatek is assembling a 'shadow fleet' of gas carriers to move cargoes from its sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 plant, according to an analysis by Filip Rudnik of the Warsaw-based Centre for Eastern…
August 2024
- Sanctioned Everest Energy begins using Saam FSU storage near Murmansk
The sanctioned LNG carrier Everest Energy has moored alongside the Saam FSU, a floating storage unit in Ura-Guba Bay about 50 kilometres north-west of Murmansk, to transfer cargo, gCaptain…
- Pioneer hands Arctic LNG 2 cargo to New Energy off Port Said
The LNG carrier Pioneer transferred a cargo from Russia's sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project to the vessel New Energy on 25 August, about 20 nautical miles north-east of Port Said near the Suez…
- US sanctions seven LNG carriers serving Russia's Arctic LNG 2
The US State Department imposed sanctions on 23 August on seven LNG carriers that it links to Russia's sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project, gCaptain reports. Pioneer and Asya Energy had called at…
- CREA identifies nine confirmed 'shadow' LNG carriers serving Russia
Russia may have up to 50 'shadow' LNG carriers available, nine of which have been confirmed, according to an analysis published on 23 August by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air…
- Russia ships fuel on tankers blacklisted by the EU, Reuters reports
Russia has started using vessels on the EU sanctions list to export oil products, according to Reuters, citing LSEG data and market sources. The Barbados-flagged Saga, formerly NS Spirit, loaded…
- UK-sanctioned former Sovcomflot tankers reflag to Barbados, Bloomberg says
Three tankers sanctioned by Britain, Galaxy, Liberty and Rigel, have moved to the Barbados flag, Bloomberg reports. The Barbados registry is run from the country's High Commission in London. The…
- US sanctions seven vessels moving Iranian oil and LPG for Houthis and Hizballah
The US Treasury sanctioned vessels, shipping companies and individuals on 15 August that it says moved Iranian oil and liquefied petroleum gas to Yemen and the United Arab Emirates for the…
- KSE Institute finds only 8 of Russia's 86 'core' shadow fleet tankers sanctioned
The KSE Institute has identified a 'core' group of 86 tankers, 45 for crude and 41 for oil products, that carried Russian oil in every quarter from January 2023 to June 2024. Only eight of them…
- Western insurers still cover tankers carrying Russian crude to Asia, Reuters finds
Western insurers have continued to cover tankers carrying Russian crude to Asia despite concerns over the G7 price cap, Reuters reports. It found five insurers, the American Club, West of…
- Pioneer loads first Arctic LNG 2 cargo while spoofing its position, gCaptain reports
The LNG carrier Pioneer loaded the first cargo from Russia's sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project on 1 August, gCaptain reports, citing satellite images of the 2005-built, 138,000 cubic metre vessel…
July 2024
- US-sanctioned tanker Victor Bakaev takes Russian crude to China via Arctic route
The US-sanctioned tanker Victor Bakaev is carrying Russian crude to China along the Northern Sea Route, S&P Global reports. The 118,000 dwt vessel, owned by Sovcomflot, loaded 732,000 barrels of…
- Dark fleet tankers push Cook Islands into world's top 30 flags
The Cook Islands has entered the top 30 ship registries, overtaking Gabon, on Clarksons Research data, Splash247 reports. The registry now holds 259 ships of 6.9 million gross tons, an expansion…
- US official says sanctions have stopped Arctic LNG 2 from loading a single cargo
US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt says American sanctions have halted Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project, gCaptain reports. Pyatt said Moscow had hoped to raise…
- Malaysia intercepts Ceres I under tow after collision off Singapore
Malaysian authorities intercepted the VLCC Ceres I at 01:20 local time on 21 July, 28 nautical miles north-east of Tioman Island, while it was being towed by two tugboats, Seatrade Maritime News…
- Tankers Hafnia Nile and Ceres I catch fire after collision off Singapore Strait
The Singapore-flagged product tanker Hafnia Nile and the VLCC Ceres I collided at about 06:00 local time on 19 July, some 30 nautical miles north-east of Pedra Branca at the entrance to the…
- UK sanctions 11 tankers as 44 European countries back shadow fleet call to action
The UK says 44 European countries and the European Union have agreed to work together against Russia's shadow fleet after it launched a 'Call to Action' at the European Political Community…
- US sanctions five vessels and insurer in Houthi financier's Iranian oil network
The United States imposed sanctions on 18 July on companies, individuals and five vessels linked to the network of Houthi financier Sa'id al-Jamal, S&P Global reports. The ships are Wanji,…
- South Korea sanctions two ships and Hong Kong firm over North Korean coal transfer
South Korea's foreign and finance ministries imposed sanctions on two vessels and a Hong Kong shipping company for breaching UN Security Council resolutions on trade with North Korea, The…
- Look-alike Sovcomflot tankers obscure Russian crude transfer to Oxis, Bloomberg says
The supertanker Oxis took on about one million barrels of Russian Urals crude in mid-July from one of two near-identical Sovcomflot tankers, Bratsk or Belgorod, Bloomberg reports. The transfer…
- Greece extends Laconia Gulf naval drills that have halted Russian crude transfers
Greece has extended naval exercises in the Bay of Laconia by two more months, the longest extension so far, Bloomberg reports. The drills began in May and are aimed at stopping risky…
- CREA counts 158 'shadow' tankers among ships carrying Russian oil in June
Russia's daily earnings from fossil fuel exports fell by 5% to EUR 664 million in June, the lowest monthly level of 2024, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). In…
- Bloomberg counts 53 sanctioned Russia-linked tankers sitting idle
Fifty-three tankers sanctioned since October 2023 over Russian oil trade are lying empty and idle around the world, according to a Bloomberg analysis published by Fortune. The vessels were…
June 2024
- US sanctions three UAE ship managers and 11 vessels in Iranian oil trade
The US State Department has sanctioned three UAE-based ship managers and 11 vessels over Iran's petroleum and petrochemical trade, citing Iran's expansion of uranium enrichment, gCaptain…
- LNG transfers off Murmansk raise talk of a Russian LNG 'dark fleet'
Ship-to-ship transfers of Russian LNG at the Kildin anchorage north of Murmansk have already exceeded last year's total of 13, gCaptain reports, with ten between 1 January and 30 April and at…
- South Korea sanctions four Russian vessels over oil transfers to North Korea
South Korea has imposed sanctions on four Russian vessels that it says supplied refined oil to North Korea through ship-to-ship transfers, Anadolu Agency reports. Eight North Koreans working for…
- Venezuela uses spoofing tankers to keep oil flowing to Cuba, Reuters says
Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA has turned to dark fleet tankers to ship oil to Cuba, often through ship-to-ship transfers by vessels that spoof their location, Reuters reports. The…
- US sanctions Iranian shadow banking network handling oil revenues
The United States has sanctioned nearly 50 entities and individuals in a shadow banking network that it says has processed billions of dollars in transactions since 2020 for Iran's defence…
- EU 14th package bans 27 vessels from ports and services and targets Russian LNG
The EU Council has adopted a 14th package of sanctions against Russia that subjects 27 vessels to a port access and services ban. The Council says the ships transported military equipment for…
- Tankers sanctioned by the UK gather in the Baltic, Bloomberg says
Several of the tankers the UK sanctioned on 13 June are in or heading for the Baltic Sea, Bloomberg reports. The Robon, known to shadow fleet watchers under its previous name Turba, has been…
- Denmark works with allies on measures against shadow fleet in its straits
Denmark is working with allied and Baltic Sea countries on possible measures against Russia's shadow fleet of ageing tankers passing through Danish straits, Reuters reports. No specific steps…
- Liberian registry withdraws recognition of Russian insurer Ingosstrakh
The Liberian Registry, the world's largest flag by capacity, has withdrawn its approval of Russian insurer Ingosstrakh following UK sanctions on the company, Bloomberg reports. The move affects…
- G7 leaders pledge action against Russia's shadow fleet in Apulia communiqué
Leaders of the Group of Seven, meeting in Apulia, Italy, pledged to take steps including sanctions and "innovative enforcement activities" against Russia's use of a shadow fleet to circumvent…
- UK sanctions individual shadow fleet tankers for the first time
The UK has for the first time sanctioned individual ships, listing three crude tankers and a product tanker it links to Russia's shadow fleet, The Maritime Executive reports. They are the Cook…
- US sanctions seven LNG carriers under construction for Russian Arctic projects
The US Treasury has designated seven LNG carriers under construction, as part of measures against Russia's future energy projects. Four, the Sergei Witte, Alexey Kosygin, Pyotr Stolypin and…
- US-sanctioned SCF Primorye transfers Russian crude east of Singapore
The US-sanctioned tanker SCF Primorye transferred about one million barrels of Urals crude to the Ocean Hermana roughly 70 miles east of Singapore on 3 June, Bloomberg reports. The 900-foot…
- US sanctions ship firms and tankers in Houthi financier Sa'id al-Jamal's network
The US Treasury has sanctioned shipping companies, ship masters and vessels it says serve the network of Houthi financier Sa'id al-Jamal, designated for supporting Iran's IRGC-Qods Force.…
- Finland asks EU for oil-spill response ship in Gulf of Finland over shadow fleet risk
Finland has called on the European Union to procure an additional oil-spill response vessel for the northern Baltic Sea, specifically the Gulf of Finland, citing risks from Russia's shadow…
- Ship manager V.Group says it lost 30 vessels to the dark fleet
V.Group, one of the largest ship managers, says it stopped managing about 30 tankers in the past year after they were sold to owners who failed its compliance checks, Reuters reports. Chief…
- Russian crude transfers shift to waters off Morocco's Nador, Bloomberg says
Ship-to-ship transfers of Russian crude have found a new site off the Moroccan city of Nador on the Mediterranean coast, near the Spanish enclave of Melilla, according to ship-tracking data…
- Venezuelan oil exports jump 30% in May as US wind-down period ends
Venezuela's oil exports rose 30% in May from April as buyers loaded cargoes before the end of a US wind-down period on 31 May, Reuters reports, citing shipping data. Fifty vessels left…
May 2024
- Shadow fleet grows to about 630 tankers, Lloyd's List Intelligence estimates
The shadow fleet carrying sanctioned oil has grown to about 630 tankers, or 14.5% of the global tanker fleet, up from 530 a year earlier, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence figures reported…
- EU weighs proposal to sanction Russian tanker insurer Ingosstrakh
The European Union is considering a member state's proposal to sanction Ingosstrakh, Russia's main provider of cover for tankers carrying Russian oil, Bloomberg reports. Ingosstrakh supplies…
- South Korea sanctions two Russian ships and seven North Koreans over arms and fuel trade
South Korea has sanctioned two Russian vessels, the Maia-1 and the Maria, which it says shuttled between Russia and North Korea carrying military supplies, Korea JoongAng Daily reports. Seven…
- Tankers forced out of Laconian Gulf again as Greek navy drills resume
Oil tankers have again been forced out of Greece's Laconian Gulf after the navy resumed exercises there on 20 May, Bloomberg reports. Ships briefly returned after a previous notice expired, but…
- Most Russia-linked tankers sanctioned by US sit idle, Bloomberg finds
Most of the 40 tankers sanctioned by the US Treasury since October remain idle months after their designation, according to a Bloomberg analysis. Only one, the SCF Primorye, has collected a…
- UK sanctions firms over Russia–North Korea 'arms-for-oil' trade
Britain has imposed sanctions on companies it accuses of facilitating an "arms-for-oil" trade between Russia and North Korea, Reuters reports. Those targeted include Paekyangsan Shipping, which…
- Chinese heavy-lift ship carries Arctic LNG 2 modules towards Murmansk
The Chinese heavy-lift vessel Wei Xiao Tian Shi is carrying two modules for the third production train of Novatek's sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project towards Murmansk, gCaptain reports. The 62,074…
- US Treasury official raises Iranian oil transfers off Malaysia on Kuala Lumpur visit
A senior US Treasury official has warned of environmental and safety risks from transfers of Iranian oil in waters off Malaysia, Reuters reports. Brian Nelson, Under Secretary for Terrorism and…
- Greece extends naval advisory to deter Russian oil transfers in Laconian Gulf
Greece has extended a naval exercise advisory covering the Laconian Gulf, off the south-eastern Peloponnese, in a move aimed at discouraging ship-to-ship transfers of Russian oil, according to…
- EU proposal for 14th package targets LNG transshipment and war-supporting ships
The European Union's proposed 14th sanctions package against Russia would ban the use of EU facilities to transship Russian liquefied natural gas to third countries, Reuters reports. The draft…
- Sanctions leave Arctic LNG 2 largely idle, Bloomberg reports
Russia's $25 billion Arctic LNG 2 plant on the Kara Sea is virtually idle despite being ready to ship gas, because US sanctions imposed in 2023 halted it before full production began, according…
- US sanctions Arctic shipping operators and heavy-lift ships serving Arctic LNG 2
The US State Department has announced sanctions against four shipping operators and their vessels over deliveries to Russia's Arctic projects, gCaptain reports. Singapore-based Red Box, whose…
- White House says Russian fuel shipments to North Korea appear to breach UN cap
The White House has said Russia is shipping refined petroleum to North Korea from Port Vostochny at levels that appear to violate the UN cap of 500,000 barrels a year, Reuters reports. National…
April 2024
- Sanctioned Sovcomflot tankers swap names and switch between Russian and Gabon flags
At least four Sovcomflot tankers have changed names and flags since the latest US sanctions, according to a Bloomberg analysis reported by The Maritime Executive. The Kemerovo, Belgorod,…
- KSE Institute: shadow fleet adds 35 tankers as Russian oil revenues climb
Russia's oil export revenues rose to $17.2 billion in March 2024, according to the KSE Institute's Russian Oil Tracker published on 30 April. Only 36% of Russian oil exports were carried by…
- Houthi missile damages tanker Andromeda Star carrying Russian oil to India
A Houthi missile attack caused minor damage to the tanker Andromeda Star about 14 nautical miles south-west of Al Mukha, Yemen, on 26 April, The Maritime Executive reports. The ship had been…
- Biden signs aid package extending sanctions to ports and ships handling Iranian oil
President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package on 24 April that widens US sanctions on Iran's oil trade, Bloomberg reports. The Senate passed it by 79 votes to 18. The law extends…
- US lets Venezuela oil licence lapse, leaving tanker backlog at ports
The US Treasury has not renewed General License 44 for Venezuela's oil sector and on 17 April gave companies 45 days to wind down pending transactions, Reuters reports via gCaptain. PDVSA's…
- Greenpeace targets Baltic bunker tanker after SVT links it to Russian oil trade
Greenpeace Nordic activists in two rubber boats painted slogans on the 8,000-tonne bunker vessel Zircone off the Swedish island of Gotland on 12 April, The Maritime Executive reports. Swedish…
- Chatham House: Russian veto will embolden North Korea as direct oil supplies begin
Russia's veto ending UN monitoring of sanctions on North Korea will further embolden Pyongyang, Edward Howell argues in a Chatham House commentary published on 8 April. He writes that North…
- US sanctions Dubai's Oceanlink Maritime and 13 tankers over Iranian military shipments
The US Treasury on 4 April designated UAE-based Oceanlink Maritime DMCC and identified 13 of its vessels as blocked property, accusing it of helping Sepehr Energy ship Iranian commodities for…
- Arctic LNG 2 halts output amid sanctions and shortage of ice-class carriers
Novatek has suspended production at its Arctic LNG 2 project because of sanctions and a shortage of gas tankers, two sources told Reuters, as reported by gCaptain on 2 April. The halt is…
- South Korea sanctions Russian cargo ships Lady R and Angara over North Korea arms trade
South Korea has sanctioned two Russian ships, the Lady R and the Angara, which it says carried military supplies between Russia and North Korea, The Korea Times reports. Seoul also listed two…
March 2024
- South Korea detains stateless cargo ship De Yi over suspected North Korea sanctions breach
South Korea's coast guard redirected the cargo ship De Yi to the Busan anchorage on 30 March after it initially refused orders to stop, The Maritime Executive reports. The Foreign Ministry said…
- Russian veto ends UN panel monitoring North Korea sanctions
Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on 28 March to renew the panel of experts that monitors sanctions on North Korea, ending its work, the Associated Press reports. The vote was 13 to…
- US sanctions tankers Dawn II and Abyss in sixth round against Houthi financier's network
The US Treasury on 26 March sanctioned the tankers Dawn II and Abyss and several companies in what it called the sixth round of action since December 2023 against the network of Sa'id al-Jamal,…
- North Korean tankers collect oil products at Russia's Vostochny port, FT and RUSI find
At least five North Korean-flagged oil products tankers travelled to Vostochny port in Russia's Far East in March to collect oil products, according to research by the Financial Times and RUSI…
- US and South Korea launch task force to block North Korea's illicit oil supplies
The United States and South Korea have set up a task force to stop North Korea obtaining oil illicitly, Reuters reports. The Enhanced Disruption Task Force met for the first time in Washington…
- Houthi missiles hit China-run tanker Huang Pu after Russian port call
Houthi missiles struck the Panama-flagged suezmax Huang Pu in the Red Sea on 23 March, according to US Central Command, Lloyd's List reports. The China-owned and operated tanker was heading to…
- All Indian refiners refuse Russian crude on Sovcomflot tankers, Bloomberg reports
All of India's refiners have stopped accepting Russian crude carried on Sovcomflot tankers because of US sanctions, Bloomberg reported, according to gCaptain. People familiar with the matter…
- Leaked report finds at least 20 tankers crossed Danish straits without pilots in 2024
At least 20 tankers transited the Danish straits without Danish pilots in 2024, carrying about 10 million barrels of oil, according to a leaked report seen by the Financial Times and Danish…
- US sanctions tanker Lady Sofia over spoofed transfer near Singapore
The US Treasury on 15 March designated the Marshall Islands-registered Vishnu Inc. and its vessel Lady Sofia for assisting the network of Sa'id al-Jamal, which it links to Iran's Revolutionary…
- US sanctions two ship owners and vessels over Iranian cargoes for Houthi financier
The US Treasury on 6 March designated Marshall Islands-based Reneez Shipping Limited and Hong Kong-based Hongkong Unitop Group Ltd, and identified the Palau-flagged Reneez and Panama-flagged…
- Tanker Andromeda Star in collision off Skagen while heading to Russia
The 15-year-old tanker Andromeda Star was involved in a collision with an unnamed vessel off Skagen on 2 March, the Danish Maritime Authority confirmed to Bloomberg, according to The Maritime…
February 2024
- US and UK target Qods Force deputy and vessel Artura over Houthi funding
The US Treasury, acting in coordination with the UK, on 27 February designated Mohammad Reza Falahzadeh, deputy commander of Iran's IRGC-Qods Force, as well as Houthi member Ibrahim al-Nashiri…
- US blocks vessel Kohana over Iranian cargo worth more than $100m
The US Treasury on 27 February sanctioned the Panama-flagged vessel Kohana, its Hong Kong-registered owner Kohana Company Limited and its Marshall Islands-registered operator Iridescent Co Ltd.…
- US sanctions Sovcomflot and 14 of its crude tankers
The US Treasury designated Sovcomflot, Russia's largest state-owned shipping company, on 23 February and identified 14 of its crude oil tankers as blocked property, among them the Anatoly…
- EU 13th package targets firms shipping North Korean arms to Russia
The EU adopted its 13th package of sanctions against Russia on 23 February, two years into the full-scale war, taking its listings past 2,000, the European Commission said. The new listings…
- US Treasury says price cap enforcement is widening discount on Russian oil
Stepped-up enforcement of the G7-led price cap is forcing Russia to sell its oil at a steeper discount, according to a US Treasury analysis published on 23 February. The discount Russia earns…
- UK sanctions oil trader Niels Troost, shadow fleet operators and Arctic LNG 2
The UK on 22 February sanctioned Russian oil trader Niels Troost and his Geneva-based company Paramount Energy & Commodities SA, accusing them of facilitating "unfettered trade in Russian oil"…
- Houthi missiles hit tanker Pollux carrying Russian crude to India
Houthi forces fired missiles at the Panama-flagged tanker Pollux in the Red Sea, north-west of Yemen's port of Mokha, AFP reports, with at least three of four anti-ship ballistic missiles…
- CREA: shadow tankers carried 64% of Russian crude in January
Shadow tankers carried 64% of Russia's seaborne crude in January 2024, with vessels owned or insured in price cap coalition countries carrying the remaining 36%, the Centre for Research on…
- Half of US-sanctioned Russian oil tankers have stopped loading, Bloomberg finds
About half of the 50 tankers sanctioned by the US since early October have not loaded cargo since being listed, according to a Bloomberg analysis published by gCaptain on 13 February. Bloomberg…
- Arctic LNG 2 yet to ship a cargo as sanctions hold up ice-class carriers
Russia's Arctic LNG 2 has been producing for more than six weeks but has not shipped a cargo, and first deliveries expected in January or February have slipped to at least March, High North News…
- US blocks tanker NS Leader and sanctions four firms over price cap breach
The US Treasury on 8 February sanctioned four companies and blocked the Gabon-flagged crude tanker NS Leader over what it says was a breach of the Russian oil price cap. According to Treasury,…
- KSE Institute counts 196 loaded shadow fleet tankers leaving Russia in December
Some 196 loaded shadow fleet tankers left Russian ports in December 2023, 73% of them more than 15 years old, according to the KSE Institute's Russian Oil Tracker published on 2 February. Most…
- Price Cap Coalition issues alert listing red flags for Russian oil cap evasion
The Price Cap Coalition of the G7, the European Union and Australia published a compliance and enforcement alert on 1 February setting out six red flags for evasion of the Russian oil price cap.…
January 2024
- US says Venezuela oil sanctions relief will lapse in April without electoral progress
The US will not renew General License 44, which eases sanctions on Venezuela's oil and gas sector, when it expires in April unless President Nicolás Maduro lets all presidential candidates take…
- US Coast Guard cutter intercepts Iranian weapons shipment for Houthis
The US Coast Guard cutter Clarence Sutphin Jr. boarded a vessel in the Arabian Sea on 28 January and seized more than 200 packages of weapons that originated in Iran and were bound for…
- Fourteen tankers of Russian Sokol crude stuck off South Korea, Reuters reports
More than a dozen tankers carrying about 10 million barrels of Russian Sokol crude were idling off South Korea's Yosu port, unsold because of US sanctions and payment problems, Reuters reported…
- Houthi missile sets tanker carrying Russian naphtha on fire in Gulf of Aden
A Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile struck the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Marlin Luanda about 60 nautical miles south-east of Aden on 26 January, setting one cargo tank on fire, gCaptain…
- US sanctions UAE-based Hennesea and 18 tankers over Russian oil price cap
The US Treasury on 18 January designated UAE-based Hennesea Holdings Limited and identified 18 tankers it says the company beneficially owns, including the HS Atlantica. Treasury alleges…
- South Korea sanctions 11 vessels over oil and coal smuggling with North Korea
South Korea has imposed unilateral sanctions on 11 vessels it accuses of ship-to-ship transfers with North Korean ships, smuggling refined oil and coal, and delivering used ships to Pyongyang,…
- Sovcomflot moves dozens of tankers to Gabon flag, Splash247 reports
Russian state shipping company Sovcomflot is moving about 50 tankers from the Liberian register to Gabon's, Splash247 reports, with some 46 having completed the switch by 11 January. Gabon's…
- US sanctions shipping firms and four vessels over Iranian commodity trade funding Houthis
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control on 12 January sanctioned two companies and identified four vessels that it says shipped Iranian commodities generating revenue for the Houthis…
- Iran seizes tanker St Nikolas, formerly the Suez Rajan, in Gulf of Oman
Iranian forces seized the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker St Nikolas in the Gulf of Oman on 11 January, according to Al-Monitor and US Naval Forces Central Command. The Greek-owned ship, managed…
- US Navy SEALs seize Iranian missile parts bound for Houthis from dhow
US Navy SEALs operating from the USS Lewis B. Puller boarded a dhow in international waters of the Arabian Sea off Somalia on 11 January and seized Iranian-made ballistic and cruise missile…