The War & Sanctions portal of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence has published data on 57 additional captains and 45 vessels involved in Russia’s shadow tanker fleet.
The list includes ships that have transported sanctioned Russian oil from the Arctic and serviced projects such as Sakhalin-1, Sakhalin-2, Sakhalin-3, Prirazlomnoye, and Novy Port.
In total, the portal now contains information on 89 captains, some of whom are already under sanctions. As the highest authority on board, these captains possess critical knowledge about the owners of shadow tankers, their technical condition, and the cargo value. Despite international regulations and industry standards, these captains engage in deceptive and high-risk practices, including:
- Disabling or manipulating AIS and LRIT systems
- Using spoofing techniques
- Falsifying route records
- Conducting ship-to-ship (STS) oil transfers
These actions enable Russia to bypass sanctions imposed by over 30 countries, while also posing a severe environmental risk to global maritime routes, including nations that continue to trade with Russia.
There are already dozens of recorded incidents involving Russia’s shadow tanker fleet, threatening to block key global maritime routes due to deliberate violations by Russian captains.
Despite having the choice to refuse illegal operations, these captains actively participate in sanctions evasion.
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The shipping industry and crewing companies have the power to stop this. Captains who agree to command Russia’s shadow fleet should be banned from future employment, and crewing companies facilitating their work should face sanctions.
By exposing ships and their captains, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence reminds them that accountability and consequences are inevitable.
