Russian “shadow vessels” are utilizing false flags to skirt sanctions imposed on Moscow over its warfare in Ukraine, in keeping with a brand new report.
A complete of 113 Russian vessels have flown a false flag within the first 9 months of this 12 months, transporting some 11 million tonnes of oil valued at 4.7 billion euros ($5.4bn), in keeping with the report printed on Thursday by the Centre for Analysis on Power and Clear Air (CREA), a Helsinki-based suppose tank.
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“The variety of Russian ʻshadowʼ tankers crusing below false flags is now growing at an alarming charge,” mentioned report co-author Luke Wickenden.
“False-flagged vessels carried 1.4 billion euros ($1.6bn) price of Russian crude oil and oil merchandise by the Danish Straits in September alone.”
Russia’s clandestine shadow fleet transports sanctioned commodities, particularly oil, below non-Russian flags to evade scrutiny.
Each vessel crusing on the open seas is required to fly a flag that gives it with authorized jurisdiction for its operations in worldwide waters.
The United Nations Conference on the Legislation of the Sea permits nations to grant their nationality to ships and fly their flag.
Some nations present open registries that enable foreign-owned or managed vessels to make use of their flag, a observe favoured by some shippers as a consequence of decrease regulatory burdens and registration prices.
In its report, CREA mentioned that 96 sanctioned vessels had flown a false flag a minimum of as soon as this 12 months as of the tip of September.
A complete of 85 vessels registered a minimum of two flag modifications six months after being sanctioned by the European Union, the USA Division of the Treasury’s Workplace of International Property Management (OFAC) or the UK, in keeping with the suppose tank.
Six flag registries that had not flagged a Russian ship earlier than Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 had a minimum of 10 such vessels every of their fleet in September 2025, in keeping with CREA, for a complete of 162 shadow vessels.
“Along with the dangers of false flagging, we additionally see that ʻshadowʼ vessel operators are making the most of capability limitations of economically weak nations to use their flags and present rules to achieve passage rights to ship blood oil,” mentioned co-author Vaibhav Raghunandan, calling on the EU and the UK to reform their flagging rules and practices.
CREA mentioned it based mostly its report on vessel possession and flag registry data obtained from maritime security platform Equasis.
It mentioned it cross-referenced the information with the IMO World Built-in Transport Data System (GSIS), a world transport business database.
‘Extra evasive strategies’
Rachel Ziemba, adjunct senior fellow on the Washington-based Heart for a New American Safety, mentioned the CREA’s findings aligned with earlier stories on Russia’s shadow fleet.
Ziemba mentioned Moscow had resorted to “extra evasive strategies” on the again of elevated stress from the EU, in addition to strikes by China to dam so-called “zombie vessels”, which use the registration numbers of retired vessels.
Whereas the US and the EU have continued to roll out new sanctions on Russian oil, “there may be an open query about enforcement”, Ziemba mentioned.
With sanctions enforcement turning into tougher as a result of rising illicit commerce, nations would wish to focus on vessels, intermediaries and patrons to considerably scale back Russia’s oil gross sales, she mentioned.
“However that comes with prices,” Ziemba mentioned, suggesting that China, a serious purchaser of Russian oil, may retaliate towards nations that tightened sanctions.
“Plus, precise enforcement may imply extra quasi-military stoppages of vessels to verify papers, one thing that these nations could be cautious of doing,” she added.
