The updated database on the War&Sanctions portal contains information on 626 more vessels of the Russian and Iranian "shadow fleet". Among them are 20 Russian tankers and 11 vessels of Iran's "ghost armada", which ensure illegal oil supplies bypassing sanctions, financing war, weapons, and attacks on Ukraine. This was reported by GUR, according to UNN.
Details
From now on, the "Shadow Fleet" section on the War&Sanctions portal contains data on 626 vessels of the Russian and Iranian shadow tanker fleet with a total deadweight of almost 67 million metric tons. 20 tankers of the Russian "shadow fleet" have been identified that do not have proper Western insurance and that ensure Russian maritime export flows of oil and oil products from ports in the Baltic and Black Seas, as well as from the Arctic and Pacific regions to India, China, and other countries, using deceptive and high-risk shipping practices
To maintain fossil fuel export revenues, Russia uses old tankers registered not only to itself but also to fictitious owners and managers in jurisdictions loyal to the Kremlin - particularly in Seychelles, China, Singapore, Azerbaijan, and India. These vessels sail under so-called "flags of convenience" - Panama, Sierra Leone, etc.
Some of the identified tankers have a direct connection with Russian companies, including those under sanctions. Among them: JSC "Volgotanker", LLC "Volgotrans", LLC "Rosewood Shipping", LLC "Eneya", LLC "SBK Dolina", LLC "Ridni Polya" and LLC "Staksel".
The latter, for example, transported fuel oil on board the tanker "Volgoneft-212", which sank in December 2023 in the Kerch Strait area. The incident resulted in a massive fuel oil spill and an environmental disaster.
In addition, some of these vessels regularly enter the ports of temporarily occupied Crimea, which is a direct violation of international law.
Tankers of the Iranian "ghost armada" provide significant oil revenues, thanks to which Iran continues to develop and distribute weapons, as well as conduct destabilizing activities, including through its regional proxies
As noted, the Iranian government annually allocates billions of petrodollars to its armed forces, financing the development of UAVs, hundreds of which attack peaceful Ukrainian cities every night.