WSJ says 15 shadow fleet tankers adopt Russian flag to shield themselves from US
Illustrative photo: shadow fleet tankers switching their flags to Russian (Getty Images)
Tankers carrying sanctioned oil have started switching their flags to Russian. They hope this will "save" them from being seized by the US, according to The Wall Street Journal.
An outlet, citing data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence, reports that over the past two weeks alone, more than 15 tankers involved in transporting sanctioned oil have changed their flags and started sailing under the Russian flag. Ships under the Russian flag still make up only a small part of the shadow fleet.
Lloyd’s List editor-in-chief Richard Meade said that using the Russian flag was a way for the shadow fleet to supposedly gain protection from raids and that this could very well become a point of tension between Washington and Moscow.
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, 25 tankers were re-registered under the Russian flag in the last three months of 2025, 18 of them in December.
The WSJ writes that sanctioned tankers hope that by operating under the flag of a country with a strong fleet, they can bypass the US blockade on Venezuelan oil shipments and avoid interception by the US Coast Guard. However, apparently, this scheme is not working.
On Friday, January 9, US military forces seized their fifth oil tanker and continue to track other vessels attempting to evade sanctions imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Seizure of the tanker Marinera
Last week, the US Coast Guard seized the tanker Marinera, which was sailing under the Russian flag.
Just a month ago, the vessel was named Bella 1. On December 30, 2025, it suddenly became Russian — beginning to operate under the Russian flag — and was also added to Russian ship registries.
A Russian submarine was spotted nearby during the tanker’s seizure.
More details about the Marinera seizure can be found in the RBC-Ukraine report.
