The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine in its war & sanctions portal has revealed data on the activities of 238 vessels that allegedly help Russia and Iran export sanctioned oil.
It claims that the list includes 238 “shadow tankers” that help Russia and Iran facilitate the transport of sanctioned oil, primarily to Asian markets such as China and India.
These tankers violate the G7+ oil embargo by transporting Russian oil from ports in the Baltic and Black Seas to EU countries, and breach price caps and other restrictions on Russian oil.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine said that the war & sanctions portal exposes the operations of the “shadow tanker fleet,” offering the world’s only data set with facts and evidence of its activities.
Amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has lost traditional buyers of oil in the EU due to Western sanctions. To counter these losses, the authority says Russia turned to new markets in Asia, primarily India and China.
“It began building up its “shadow fleet” with outdated tankers without “ties” to the G7+nations. These vessels can transport oil in violation of the price cap. In addition, Russia uses the services of Iran’s “ghost armada”. Since 2022, Russia has spent about $10 billion to create its shadow fleet,” it noted in its official website.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine added that Russia’s “shadow fleet” comprises over 1,000 outdated and poorly maintained vessels, without proper insurance, under murky ownership structures, representing approximately 17% of the global oil tanker fleet.
With a total deadweight of more than 100 million tons, such vessels it says resort to deceptive tactics at sea to conceal the origin of cargo and create environmental risks. Since February 2022, more than 50 incidents involving “shadow tankers” have been recorded globally.
According to the website, in 2023 Russia earned $188 billion and Iran $53 billion from oil exports.
