The War & Sanctions portal reveals dossiers on 238 vessels of the shadow fleet consisting of outdated oil tankers, which generate billions for aggressors and pose a global environmental threat.
Fossil fuel exports remain a key source of funding for military build-ups by aggressors and the sustenance of "bloody" regimes. In 2023, Russia earned $188 billion from oil exports, while Iran generated nearly $53 billion. These revenues enable authoritarian actors to finance nuclear programmes, develop advanced drones and missiles, sustain terrorist activities via regional proxies, and pay transnational criminal networks.
The shadow fleet comprises over a thousand outdated, poorly maintained vessels with inadequate insurance, unclear ownership and management structures, registered under “convenient” flags in “friendly” jurisdictions. This fleet, with a combined deadweight of over 100 million tons (approximately 17% of the global oil tanker fleet), employs deceptive tactics to obscure cargo origins. It poses risks of environmental disasters and billions in losses for coastal nations, especially in busy international transit routes where these tankers often avoid pilotage services. Since February 2022, over 50 incidents involving shadow tankers have been reported from the Danish Straits to Malaysia.
Following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia lost traditional maritime oil customers in the EU and faced Western sanctions, including restrictions on the state shipping company PAO Sovcomflot. However, Russia has found new buyers in Asia, primarily India and China, and expanded its shadow fleet with outdated tankers operating outside G7+ price caps. Additionally, Russia utilizes the "Iranian ghost armada." Since 2022, Russia has spent approximately $10 billion on building its shadow fleet.
The War & Sanctions portal unveils these shadow fleet operations and launches a unique global database detailing their activities. The list currently includes 238 tankers that help Russia and Iran deliver sanctioned oil primarily to Asian clients, such as China and India. These vessels violate the G7+ oil embargo, transporting Russian oil from Baltic and Black Sea ports to Europe via transshipment hubs in the Black and Mediterranean Seas. Greenpeace and UANI have flagged some of these tankers for threatening ecosystems and transporting Russian oil worldwide.
The portal also allows sorting tankers by operators, many of whom emerged in 2022-2023, acquiring fleets of outdated vessels like Arfamax and Suezmax to ensure Russian oil transport in Kremlin interests.
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War & Sanctions is the only global portal revealing Western components in Russian weaponry, maritime vessels aiding aggression, grain theft, child deportations, and other war crimes.
