Archive
Shadow fleet news in 2026
125 summaries of reporting on sanctioned seaborne trade in 2026, newest first.
Oct · Sep · Aug · Jul · Jun · May · Apr · Mar · Feb · Jan
October 2026
- Sanctioned Russian tankers carried South Korean fuel to Russia's far east, Guardian reports
South Korean ports supplied more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, to Russian tankers in July and August 2026, according to a Guardian investigation reported by the Kyiv Independent.…
- Tanker believed to be Ukraine-sanctioned Aframax Rio catches fire off Sochi
A large tanker caught fire off the Russian resort city of Sochi on 6 October, the Maritime Executive reports, citing local media accounts and satellite sensing data. Initial reports suggest the…
- Iran's floating oil stocks near exhaustion as US blockade holds, Kpler estimates
Iranian crude held in floating storage, mostly off Malaysia, is close to running out, The Maritime Executive reports. Kpler estimates that about 15 million barrels remained afloat at the start…
- Japan restricts services to 35 vessels it links to Russia's shadow fleet
Japan's government announced further sanctions on Russia on Friday 3 October, including curbs on services to 35 vessels it says belong to the shadow fleet carrying sanctioned Russian oil, Kyodo…
- US Coast Guard intercepts Cuba-bound vessel Grace carrying fuel in ballast tanks
The US Coast Guard says it intercepted the vessel Grace in the Caribbean Sea as it carried fuel towards Cuba, gCaptain reports. After the boarding, the ship was escorted to Progreso in Mexico,…
- UK sanctions eight more ships in package aimed at Russia's revenues
The UK announced 31 new sanctions on 1 October, covering 23 individuals and entities and eight ships. According to the government, the vessels comprise three shadow fleet ships, two that supply…
- Bessent says Iran loaded no crude onto tankers in September
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on X on 1 October that Iran had loaded "ZERO crude oil onto tankers in September", Middle East Eye reports. He presented the figure as a result…
September 2026
- EU moves to extend its Mediterranean naval mission and point it at the shadow fleet
EU ambassadors approved a revised mandate for Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI on 30 September, European Pravda reports, citing Euronews. The mission was set up in 2020 to enforce the UN arms…
- Shadow tankers retreat to the Russian flag as false-flag numbers fall
A study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), published on 25 September, finds that 107 vessels joined Russia's ship register between January 2025 and June 2026, a 36 per…
- More shadow tankers on the Northern Sea Route this season than in all of 2025
By mid-September, 50 shadow fleet oil tankers and 18 LNG carriers had sailed the Northern Sea Route, against 38 and 13 for the whole of 2025, according to Bellona's shipping monitoring. Six of…
- Puntland police free US-sanctioned tanker Sibu 1 from Somali pirates
The Eritrea-flagged tanker Sibu 1 has been freed and its captors detained, a commander of the Puntland Maritime Police Force told Reuters. Six armed men seized the ship on 20 August, according…
- Ukraine's drone forces claim 300 shadow fleet tankers hit in eleven weeks
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces have struck 300 Russian shadow fleet tankers since their campaign began on 6 July, commander Robert Brovdi said, according to the Kyiv Post. He put the tally at…
- EU think tank warns the shadow fleet is becoming a military asset
A commentary from the EU Institute for Security Studies argues that European pressure has changed the fleet in two ways. Russia is registering the vessels under its own flag, and it is arming…
- CREA: sanctioned shadow tankers carried over half of Russia's seaborne oil in August
Sanctioned shadow tankers carried 52% of Russia's seaborne oil in August, according to CREA's monthly analysis published on 10 September. For crude alone, their share was 61%, against 34% for…
- Dark ship-to-ship transfers of Russian oil detected in Sea of Japan
Satellite analytics firm SynMax detected two ship-to-ship transfers of Russian oil in the Sea of Japan on 7 September, gCaptain reported. According to the report, the tanker Jagger, which loaded…
- US forces destroy five tankers linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards
US Central Command said it destroyed five crude tankers associated with the IRGC on 8 September, four in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island, Iran's main export terminal. It described…
- US says it disabled two Iranian tankers and destroyed a third
US Central Command said on 5 September that it had disabled two Iranian crude carriers and destroyed a third in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island, Al Jazeera reported. One of the ships was…
- Italian warship boards suspected shadow tanker Sun to check its flag
Personnel from the Italian patrol ship ITS Thaon di Revel boarded MV Sun on 30 August to verify the tanker's flag, USNI News reports. It was the sixth suspected shadow fleet vessel boarded by EU…
- Iran-linked tankers left idling off Sri Lanka and Malaysia by US blockade
Dozens of tankers linked to Iran's oil trade are waiting at sea off Sri Lanka and Malaysia, unable to return to Iranian ports because of the US naval blockade, The Maritime Executive reported.…
- Russia nearly doubles LNG carrier fleet serving sanctioned Arctic LNG 2
Russia has almost doubled the number of LNG carriers serving its sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project, from 11 in December to at least 20 by early September, according to a Bloomberg report published…
August 2026
- PISM: European tanker detentions raise costs for the shadow fleet but do not shrink it
European states carried out 18 interventions or attempted interventions against oil tankers between December 2024 and August 2026, led mainly by France and Sweden, according to a bulletin by the…
- US Treasury launches 'Operation Economic Outcast' and lists five Iran-linked tankers
The US Treasury launched what it calls Operation Economic Outcast on 24 August, with the Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioning nearly 60 entities, individuals and vessels it accuses of…
- Sanctioned tanker Sibu 1 hijacked in Gulf of Aden
Six armed people seized the tanker Sibu 1 (IMO 9204776) about 136 nautical miles east of Al Mukalla, Yemen, on 19 August and diverted it towards Somalia, gCaptain reports, citing UKMTO and…
- Spill from grounded sanctioned tanker reaches Oman's coast
Oil leaking from the grounded tanker Caroline Bezengi has spread over more than 2,000 square kilometres and reached the Omani coastline, MarineLink reported on 12 August. The 25-year-old…
- Putin threatens to seize European ships in retaliation
Vladimir Putin warned on 12 August that Russia would retaliate against European interceptions of Russian oil cargoes, Euronews reports. Speaking while observing naval exercises aboard the…
- US sells two seized Russian-flagged tankers for scrap in India
The US government has sold two Russian-flagged tankers it seized in January to Dubai-based ship recycler Global Marketing Systems for demolition in India, MarineLink reports, citing Reuters and…
- Royal Navy reports 21 days shadowing Russian ships, including frigate escorting shadow tankers
Royal Navy warships and helicopters spent 21 days in July monitoring Russian activity in UK waters and the North Atlantic, a 25% rise on a year earlier, the UK government said. It said the…
- Master of tanker Bella 1 jailed for ten months in Washington
A federal court in Washington DC sentenced Avtandil Kalandadze, a 47-year-old Georgian national, to ten months in prison followed by deportation, the US Attorney's Office for the District of…
- Sanctioned Russian tankers take far-northern Arctic route to Asia
Close to twenty sanctioned oil tankers are using an unusually far-northern Arctic passage to carry crude from Russia's Arctic terminals towards Asian buyers, gCaptain reports, citing Sentinel-1…
- UK sanctions six newly acquired shadow fleet tankers and six Russian banks
In his first major sanctions package, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced 19 designations on 6 August, including six newly acquired shadow fleet tankers the UK says are dodging Western…
- Swedish Supreme Court clears transfer of seized ship Caffa to Ukraine
Sweden's Supreme Court on 4 August dismissed an appeal by Caffa Shipping Ltd, allowing the seized cargo ship Caffa to be handed over to Ukraine, according to court documents reported by…
- Italian warship boards EU-sanctioned tanker Toa Payoh off Pantelleria
An Italian Navy team operating under the EU's Operation IRINI boarded the tanker Toa Payoh on 2 August in international waters west of Pantelleria, Naval News reports. The vessel, which declared…
July 2026
- Crude leaking from sanctioned tanker Caroline Bezengi off Oman
The tanker Caroline Bezengi, which is under EU and UK sanctions over alleged involvement in carrying Russian fuel, appears to be leaking crude off Oman, MarineLink reported, citing Reuters. The…
- Iranian oil transfers continue off Malaysia despite US blockade
Iranian oil continues to be moved through Malaysia's Eastern Outer Port Limits anchorage despite the US naval blockade, Al Jazeera reported. The Iranian tanker Humanity switched off its tracking…
- US Treasury targets Iranian 'insurance' scheme for Hormuz transits and more shadow tankers
OFAC sanctioned what it called an illicit maritime insurance scheme tied to the Strait of Hormuz, saying the risks the cover claims to protect against are largely created by Iran itself. It also…
- EU's 21st sanctions package lists 41 more shadow fleet vessels
The Council of the EU adopted its 21st sanctions package against Russia, adding 41 vessels to the list of ships barred from EU ports and services and bringing the total to 673. The listing…
- EU's Operation Atalanta cleared to board suspected Russian shadow tankers
The EU's counter-piracy mission Operation Atalanta has been authorised to carry out flag-verification boardings of ships suspected of belonging to Russia's shadow fleet, EU foreign policy chief…
- EU forces board Cameroon-flagged tanker South Star in the Mediterranean
Forces from the EU's Operation Irini boarded the Cameroon-flagged tanker South Star in international waters in the Mediterranean for a flag verification check, according to the Moscow Times. EU…
- Ukraine claims hits on 159 Russian vessels in twelve days
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert Brovdi said his units struck 159 Russian shadow fleet vessels between 6 and 17 July, 117 in the Sea of Azov and 42 in the Black Sea, the Kyiv…
- US Treasury widens sanctions on Shamkhani shipping network
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated more than 50 individuals, entities and vessels linked to the shipping network of Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani. Treasury says the…
- Russia halts Don-Azov traffic after Ukraine claims strikes on 21 tankers
Russia temporarily suspended navigation through the Don-Azov Canal after overnight Ukrainian drone strikes on vessels in the Sea of Azov, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing Reuters. Ukrainian…
- Ukraine says it struck a dozen Russian shadow fleet tankers in two days
Ukraine's drone forces said they attacked twelve tankers belonging to Russia's shadow fleet over two days as the vessels supplied fuel to Crimea, MarineLink reported, citing Reuters. Eight…
- European navies step up action against tankers falsely flying Cameroon's flag
European countries are intensifying enforcement against tankers carrying Russian oil under fraudulent Cameroonian registrations, including boardings at sea, according to Reuters reporting…
- Ukraine tells IMO that Russian shadow fleet tankers may be legitimate targets
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba has sent a letter to the International Maritime Organization setting out Kyiv's view that Russian oil and gas tankers funding Moscow's war could be…
June 2026
- French navy detains tanker Deliver off Sicily over false flag
French naval forces stopped and boarded the tanker Deliver off Sicily, with help from the Royal Navy and the EU's IRINI operation, Maritime Executive reported. The French military said the ship…
- Ukraine says it struck sanctioned tanker Fina A in the Black Sea
Ukraine's General Staff said on 17 June that its forces had struck the tanker Fina A in the Black Sea overnight, according to the Kyiv Independent. Kyiv Post reported that the vessel was hit in…
- UK sanctions more than 20 tankers and four Arctic LNG 2 carriers
The UK announced 70 new Russia-related sanctions on 16 June, including more than 20 oil tankers, ship insurers and other shipping service providers, the government said, taking the number of…
- UK charges captain of detained tanker Smyrtos with sanctions offence
The UK National Crime Agency charged Ajay Pant, an Indian national and captain of the tanker Smyrtos, with contravening sanctions, MarineLink reported on 15 June. The charge alleges he directly…
- EU Council lists 26 individuals and firms tied to Russian oil shipments
The Council of the EU on 15 June adopted sanctions on two individuals and 24 entities it says are involved in shipping and exporting Russian crude and oil products, including via the shadow…
- Russian senator Rogozin proposes rigging shadow tankers with explosives after UK boarding
Russian senator Dmitry Rogozin suggested fitting shadow fleet tankers with explosive charges that could be detonated if the ships were seized, Splash247 reports, arguing that a few explosions…
- Royal Marines board sanctioned tanker Smyrtos in first UK-led interception
Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency officers boarded the sanctioned tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel on 14 June, in what the UK government called its first interdiction of a…
- EU proposes 21st Russia sanctions package targeting shadow fleet support vessels
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas presented a proposed 21st package of sanctions against Russia on 9 June, gCaptain reported. The plan…
- US jet disables Iran-bound sanctioned tanker Marivex in Gulf of Oman
An F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln fired a precision munition into the engine and steering spaces of the Palau-flagged tanker Marivex (IMO 9464156), formerly Arihant, after its crew…
- US sanctions network passing off Iranian LPG as Omani
The US Treasury designated a network of people, companies and vessels it says shipped hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas, disguised as Omani, to buyers in…
- French navy boards tanker Tagor in the Atlantic west of Brittany
French forces boarded and detained the oil tanker Tagor in international waters roughly 400 nautical miles west of Brittany, President Emmanuel Macron announced on 1 June, saying the operation…
May 2026
- Ukraine says drones hit shadow fleet tanker at Taganrog and Feodosia terminal
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said they struck a shadow fleet oil tanker at Taganrog in Russia's Rostov region during an overnight operation on 30 May, Kyiv Post reports. Commander Robert…
- US targets more front companies behind Iran's military oil sales
The US Treasury took further action against front companies that sell Iranian crude on behalf of the armed forces, saying the revenue is helping Iran rebuild its military and threaten its…
- US sanctions Iran's 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' over Hormuz transit demands
The US Treasury sanctioned Iran's so-called Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which it describes as a Revolutionary Guards scheme to extort payments from vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.…
- OFAC licence lets GMS scrap four sanctioned Iran-linked boxships
The US Office of Foreign Assets Control has allowed Dubai-based cash buyer GMS to acquire four sanctioned containerships for demolition, Splash247 reports. The ships, Yogi, Timon, Rantanplan and…
- US sanctions Iranian exchange house, front companies and 19 vessels
The US imposed sanctions on Iran's Amin Exchange, also known as Ebrahimi and Associates Partnership Company, along with eight front companies in China, Hong Kong and the UAE, gCaptain reports.…
- CNN examines Chinese independent refineries' role in Iran's oil trade
A CNN investigation describes how small independent refineries in Shandong province and elsewhere process sanctioned Iranian crude for China's domestic market. According to CNN, Iranian oil made…
- US targets front companies selling Revolutionary Guards oil to China
The US Treasury designated 12 individuals and entities it says help Iran's Revolutionary Guards sell and ship oil to China through front companies in permissive jurisdictions. Treasury argues…
- US forces disable two Iranian tankers trying to breach port blockade
US forces fired on and disabled two Iranian oil tankers on Friday after an overnight exchange of fire with Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz, NPR reports. The US military said the tankers…
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards say they seized tanker Ocean Koi in Gulf of Oman
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had captured the Barbados-registered oil tanker Ocean Koi in the Gulf of Oman, Al Jazeera reports. An IRGC spokesperson claimed the vessel had…
- Sanctioned tanker Elbus skirts Norway's economic zone on way to Murmansk
The oil tanker Elbus (IMO 9290385) sailed some 200 nautical miles off the Norwegian coast while heading for Murmansk, staying outside the zone where the Barents Ship Reporting System applies,…
- Swedish Coast Guard boards and detains tanker Jin Hui off Trelleborg
The Swedish Coast Guard and police boarded the tanker Jin Hui in Swedish territorial waters south of Trelleborg on suspicion that it was unseaworthy, MarineLink reports. The coast guard said…
- Zelenskyy says Ukrainian drones hit shadow fleet tankers and Primorsk port
Ukrainian drones struck Russian oil export infrastructure, including the Baltic port of Primorsk, and several tankers, CBS News reports. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said one tanker belonging…
- China orders firms not to comply with US sanctions on five refineries
China's Ministry of Commerce issued a prohibition order on Saturday stating that US sanctions on five independent refineries should not be recognised, enforced or complied with, Al Jazeera…
- US sanctions Iranian exchange houses handling oil revenue from China
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has sanctioned three Iranian foreign currency exchange houses, according to Al-Monitor. The outlet reports that the firms handle billions of…
April 2026
- US says blockade has stopped 42 vessels and stranded 69 million barrels of Iranian oil
US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper said US forces had intercepted 42 vessels under the blockade of Iranian ports, leaving 41 tankers carrying about 69 million barrels of oil, worth…
- Ukraine says naval drones hit sanctioned tanker Marquise in Black Sea
Ukraine's General Staff said its navy struck the tanker Marquise with two kamikaze drones about 210 kilometres south-east of the Russian port of Tuapse, the Kyiv Independent reported. According…
- US Treasury warns banks over Chinese teapot refiners buying Iranian oil
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued an alert to US and foreign financial institutions on the sanctions risks of dealing with independent teapot refineries in China, mainly…
- Tanker that carried Russian oil to Cuba heads to Kola Bay to load
The tanker Anatoly Kolodkin crossed the Norwegian-Russian maritime boundary on 27 April and headed for Kola Bay to load crude at floating storage units, The Barents Observer reported. The…
- US Navy intercepts newly sanctioned vessel Sevan in Arabian Sea
US naval forces intercepted the vessel M/V Sevan in the Arabian Sea on Saturday as part of efforts to block Iranian energy exports, Bloomberg reported, citing US Central Command. According to…
- US sanctions Chinese refiner Hengli and 19 Iran-linked tankers
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery, which it called one of China's largest independent teapot refiners, accusing it of buying…
- US boards supertanker Majestic X east of Sri Lanka
US forces boarded the very large crude carrier Majestic X, also known as Phonix, in the Indian Ocean east of Sri Lanka, World Oil reported, citing Bloomberg. The Pentagon described the ship as a…
- EU's 20th Russia package adds 46 vessels and new port bans
The EU adopted its 20th sanctions package against Russia, adding 46 vessels to the list of ships barred from EU ports and services and removing 11, the European Commission said. That brings the…
- US forces board sanctioned tanker Tifani in first blockade interdiction
US forces boarded the Botswana-flagged tanker Tifani in the Bay of Bengal, the Pentagon said, describing a right-of-visit maritime interdiction carried out without incident. According to the…
- IMO Legal Committee approves first guidelines against fraudulent ship registration
At its 113th session (13 to 17 April), the IMO Legal Committee approved guidelines to help flag States check who may register ships, verify ownership and ship identity, run quality assurance and…
- US widens sanctions on Shamkhani oil shipping network under Economic Fury
The US Treasury sanctioned more than two dozen individuals, companies and vessels in the network of Iranian oil shipping magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, son of the late security official Ali…
- Experts warn over dozens of tankers idling in Gulf of Finland
Between 30 and 40 tankers described as part of Russia's shadow fleet are waiting in the Gulf of Finland after Ukrainian drone strikes damaged oil terminals at Ust-Luga and Primorsk, The Moscow…
- US Central Command announces blockade of Iranian ports
US Central Command said it would enforce a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman from 10am Eastern time on 13 April. It said the…
- Estonia says it will not detain shadow fleet tankers, citing escalation risk
Estonia's navy commander Ivo Vark said the country will not detain Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Baltic because the risk of military escalation is too high, Baird Maritime reports, citing…
- Russian frigate escorts sanctioned tankers through English Channel
The Russian Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Grigorovich escorted two tankers on the UK sanctions list, Universal and Enigma, through the English Channel, The Insider reported, citing tracking by…
- Sweden boards EU-sanctioned tanker over Baltic oil spill
Sweden's coastguard boarded the tanker Flora 1 on Friday on suspicion of an environmental crime, after a 12-kilometre oil slick was detected east of Gotland the previous day, Euronews reported.…
March 2026
- French court jails captain of tanker Boracay for one year for defying navy
A French court sentenced Chen Zhangjie, the 39-year-old Chinese captain of the tanker Boracay (IMO 9332810), to a year in prison and a fine of about $170,000 for failing to comply with orders…
- Sanctioned tanker Altura damaged by drone near Istanbul
The Sierra Leone-flagged tanker Altura, carrying 140,000 tonnes of crude from Novorossiysk, was hit by a drone in the Black Sea, the Kyiv Independent reported, citing Turkish broadcaster NTV.…
- UK clears armed forces to board and detain sanctioned shadow fleet ships in British waters
The UK government said armed forces and law enforcement officers will be able to board and detain Russian shadow fleet vessels passing through British waters, with owners, operators and crew…
- French navy boards tanker Deyna in the western Mediterranean
The French navy, supported by Britain, boarded the Mozambique-flagged tanker Deyna in the western Mediterranean and escorted it to an anchorage for inspection, gCaptain reported. The ship had…
- Sweden boards tanker Sea Owl I over suspected false Comorian flag
Swedish police boarded the 228-metre tanker Sea Owl I off Trelleborg on Sweden's southern coast, The Moscow Times reported. The coast guard said it suspected the ship, which flies the Comoros…
- US issues temporary waiver for Russian oil already at sea, including on sanctioned tankers
The US Treasury issued a 30-day authorisation, expiring on 11 April, allowing the sale, delivery and offloading of Russian crude and oil products loaded on or before 12 March, Lloyd's List…
- US asks court for immediate sale of seized tanker Skipper and its cargo
The US government has asked the federal court in Washington DC for an immediate sale of the seized tanker Skipper and its oil, The Maritime Executive reports. The government says it has already…
- UK convenes JEF lawyers on legal basis for military action against shadow fleet
UK Defence Secretary John Healey and Attorney General Richard Hermer convened legal representatives from Joint Expeditionary Force nations to examine the legal framework for military action…
- Hormuz traffic collapses as Iranian shadow tankers slow and go dark
Only around 44 to 45 transits of the Strait of Hormuz had been recorded since the start of March, roughly a 90% fall in tonnage from normal levels, gCaptain reported, citing data including…
- Russia blames Ukraine after sanctioned LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz is wrecked off Libya
The Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz was hit by explosions and fire in the Mediterranean between Libya and Malta, north of the Libyan port of Sirte, Al Jazeera reported. Libya's port authority…
- Belgian forces seize falsely flagged tanker Ethera in the North Sea with French support
Belgian special forces seized the product tanker Ethera in Belgium's exclusive economic zone in the North Sea, with direct support from the French navy, Lloyd's List reported. According to the…
- Iran-linked tanker Skylight hit and set on fire off Oman's Musandam peninsula
The Palau-flagged tanker Skylight, sanctioned by the US Treasury in December 2025 as part of Iran's shadow fleet, was struck about five nautical miles north of Khasab near the Strait of Hormuz…
February 2026
- US Treasury sanctions 12 more tankers in Iran's oil trade
The US Treasury has designated 12 tankers it says belong to Iran's shadow fleet, part of more than 30 new designations of entities, individuals and vessels, gCaptain reports. Named ships include…
- Cameroon pledges to strike shadow fleet tankers from its register
Cameroon's government has promised to deregister all shadow fleet tankers after representations from Brussels, Hellenic Shipping News reports. Citing Windward data, the report says more than 120…
- UK targets 2Rivers network and 48 tankers in largest Russia sanctions package
The UK has announced nearly 300 new sanctions against Russia on the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion, describing it as its biggest package. The measures cover 175 companies in the…
- US Navy boards third sanctioned tanker in Indian Ocean
US Navy personnel fast-roped from MH-60S helicopters to board the tanker Bertha in the Indian Ocean on 24 February, USNI News reports, the third such capture after Veronica III and Aquila II.…
- Hungary blocks EU's 20th Russia sanctions package and its shadow fleet measures
Hungary has vetoed the EU's 20th sanctions package against Russia, preventing the unanimous approval needed before the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion, the Kyiv Independent…
- France releases tanker Grinch after owner pays multi-million euro penalty
France has released the tanker Grinch after its owner paid a fine of several million euros, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced. The vessel, which had sailed from Murmansk, was…
- US forces board tanker Veronica III in Indian Ocean after it left Venezuela
US military forces have boarded the tanker Veronica III in the Indian Ocean by helicopter, Al Jazeera reports, after the Pentagon said the vessel had tried to evade President Trump's blockade on…
- Denmark logged 292 voyages by EU-sanctioned tankers in its waters in 2025
The Danish Maritime Authority says EU-sanctioned tankers made 292 voyages through Danish waters in 2025, roughly one a day, Euronews reports. The authority said it was closely monitoring ships…
- Sanctioned tankers increasingly switch to Russian flag after Western boardings
Nearly 70 dark fleet tankers have moved to Russia's flag since May 2025, 40 of them after the US, UK and France began boarding vessels with fraudulent registrations in December, according to…
- US forces board sanctioned tanker Aquila II in Indian Ocean after long pursuit
US forces have boarded the tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean in an overnight operation coordinated by US Indo-Pacific Command, following a pursuit that gCaptain says began in the Caribbean…
- EU Commission proposes full maritime services ban on Russian oil in 20th sanctions package
The European Commission has proposed a 20th sanctions package against Russia that would replace price-cap rules with a blanket ban on EU companies providing maritime services, such as insurance…
- US sanctions 14 vessels accused of carrying Iranian oil as talks open in Oman
The United States has imposed sanctions on 14 vessels it accuses of forming part of a shadow fleet transporting Iranian oil, along with 15 entities and two individuals, Al Jazeera reports. The…
January 2026
- US hands seized tanker Sophia back to Venezuela
The United States is returning the Panama-flagged supertanker Sophia to Venezuelan authorities, gCaptain reports, weeks after the Coast Guard and military seized it on 7 January as what…
- Fourteen European states warn multi-flagged ships may be treated as stateless
Fourteen European countries, including Germany, France, the UK, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Nordic and Baltic states, warned on 27 January that vessels using multiple flags in the…
- Captain of seized tanker Marinera moved to US custody despite Scottish court order
Avtandil Kalandadze, the Georgian captain of the Russian-flagged tanker Marinera, formerly Bella 1, and its first officer were transferred to the US Coast Guard cutter Munro after the ship was…
- US sanctions nine tankers over Iranian oil, citing protest crackdown
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control on 23 January designated nine vessels and eight companies it says transport Iranian oil and petroleum products. The ships include Sea Bird,…
- French navy boards tanker Grinch in Mediterranean and diverts it to Marseille
French naval forces, supported by British forces, boarded the tanker Grinch in the western Mediterranean on 22 January using helicopters and naval vessels, The Barents Observer reported. The…
- Atlantic Council fellow urges Baltic states to follow US in seizing shadow tankers
European states should move from sanctions to actively interdicting Russia's shadow fleet, Justina Budginaite-Froehly, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Europe Center, argued…
- Spain escorts sanctioned tanker Chariot Tide to Morocco after engine failure
The Mozambique-flagged tanker Chariot Tide, which the EU and UK sanctioned in November 2024 under its former name Marabella Sun, lost propulsion on 22 January about 33 miles south of Adra in…
- Russia's Maritime Board signals naval role in protecting its shipping
Russia's Maritime Board, chaired by security official Nikolai Patrushev, said on 21 January it had drawn up measures to protect Russian shipping interests, The Barents Observer reported.…
- US sanctions 21 Houthi-linked targets moving oil products and weapons
The US Treasury designated 21 individuals and entities and identified one vessel it says transferred oil products, procured weapons and dual-use equipment and provided financial services for…
- US seizes Veronica, sixth tanker taken in its Venezuelan oil campaign
The US Coast Guard boarded the sanctioned tanker Veronica in the Caribbean, the sixth such seizure in the effort to control Venezuela's oil trade and the fourth since Nicolás Maduro was removed,…
- UK reportedly identifies legal basis to board unflagged shadow fleet tankers
British ministers believe the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 could allow military force to be used against oil tankers sailing without a valid national flag, the Kyiv Independent…
- Germany turns away sanctioned tanker Tavian from its Baltic waters
German federal police refused the tanker Tavian entry to territorial waters off Schleswig-Holstein on 10 January, gCaptain reported, after finding forged papers and a fabricated IMO number.…
- US seizes falsely flagged tanker Olina, its fifth in the Venezuela campaign
The US Coast Guard, supported by Marines and sailors launched from the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, seized the tanker Olina in international waters in the eastern Caribbean before dawn on 9…
- Russia-bound tanker Elbus damaged in Black Sea drone attack off Turkey
The Palau-flagged Suezmax tanker Elbus was damaged on 8 January when it was attacked by what Splash247 described as an unmanned marine vehicle and drone around 30 miles off the Turkish coast.…
- US seizes Venezuela-trading tanker days after it switched to the Russian flag
US European Command said it seized the tanker it called Bella 1 in the North Atlantic for breaching sanctions on Venezuelan oil. Weeks earlier the US had tried to board the ship while it sailed…
- Tanker Qendil runs aground off Turkey weeks after reported Ukrainian drone strike
The Oman-flagged tanker Qendil ran aground off the Turkish island of Bozcaada on 4 January while sailing empty from Aliaga to Yalova, gCaptain reported. Turkish authorities sent the tugs…