One-sixth of global tankers now linked to Russia's shadow fleet - NYT
Illustrative photo: Every sixth tanker worldwide is linked to Russia (Getty Images)
Every sixth tanker in the world now belongs to Russia's shadow fleet, making up about 17% of all operational tankers worldwide, reports The New York Times.
The outlet refers to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, which shows the shadow fleet currently represents 17% of the active tanker fleet.
At the start of 2025, analysts estimated the fleet included 940 vessels, 45% more than at the beginning of 2024. The average age of these ships exceeds 20 years, compared with 13 years for the legal tanker fleet.
Since then, the European Union has added over 500 shadow fleet tankers to its sanctions blacklist, barring ports from receiving them and insurers from providing coverage. Despite this, Russia continues to buy new ships to replace tankers removed from operation.
"You have this dreadful expression in America: Whac-A-Mole. Circumvention is a bit like that," said EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan.
Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reports that the shadow fleet now includes up to 1,000 vessels with a total deadweight of over 100 million tons. Most are cheap, outdated tankers used to export oil and petroleum products.
Europe is trying to curb violations by Russian vessels. On September 19, the European Commission unveiled its 19th package of anti-Russian sanctions, which includes additional measures targeting the shadow fleet.
On September 18, Australia lowered the price cap on Russian oil from $60 to $47.60 per barrel and imposed sanctions on 95 more vessels from Russia's shadow fleet.
