Since July 2024, a tanker from Putin’s shadow fleet has been illegally transferring oil at sea near Greece, according to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.
Details
An Aframax-type tanker, IMO 9247443, without Western insurance, has been conducting illegal ship-to-ship oil transfers in open waters near the coasts of Greece and Cyprus since July 2024.
“Such operations pose an environmental threat, allow the aggressor to conceal the origin of the oil, evade international oversight, and ensure its delivery to third countries in violation of sanctions,” the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said.
On the War&Sanctions platform, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine publishes data on vessels used by the aggressor state Russia as floating transfer hubs for supplying sanctioned oil.
Earlier, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine released information on 159 oil tankers, most of which belong to the so-called shadow fleet of the Russian Federation, as well as data on 55 captains of this fleet.
In total, the War&Sanctions portal contains data on 577 such oil tankers. The total deadweight of the identified vessels exceeds 63 million metric tons.
Russia’s Revenues
In the fourth year of the full-scale invasion, oil and gas exports remain a key source of budget revenue and financing of the war against Ukraine, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine states.
Meanwhile, the shadow fleet actively uses high-risk practices in maritime logistics, including disabling automatic identification systems, spoofing navigation data, conducting oil transfers at night without lighting, using flags of convenience, and registering shell companies.
Strengthening Sanctions
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine emphasizes the need to strengthen sanctions pressure on the Russian economy, including:
lowering the price cap on oil and petroleum products;
G7 and EU countries refusing to import petroleum products made from Russian raw materials;
introducing a ban on STS operations in the territorial waters of G7 and EU countries;
strengthening control over insurance coverage of vessels on the Western market;
imposing a complete ban on the import of Russian LNG and pipeline fuel.
