Rapid Fire
Shadow Fleet
- 23 Jan 2026
- 2 min read
The United States has intensified its military-led crackdown on the global 'shadow fleet' of oil tankers for transporting sanctioned crude from countries like Iran, Venezuela, and Russia.
- Shadow Fleet
- About: It refers to a vast network of over 3,000 vessels using deceptive shipping practices like disabling AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponders, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) spoofing, and opaque ownership structures to evade Western sanctions and transport oil from sanctioned nations.
- Dark vs. Grey Fleets: Dark fleets are the highest-risk vessels; deliberately hide activity through AIS-off behaviour, GNSS spoofing, false flags, and covert ship-to-ship transfers.
- Grey fleet is not necessarily sanctioned but shows risk indicators like irregular routes, rapid ownership changes, and structural ambiguity designed to appear compliant. Emerged after the Russia-Ukraine war.
- Regulatory Weaknesses: Many shadow vessels are registered in jurisdictions with lax maritime oversight, including Gabon, Marshall Islands, Cook Islands, Liberia, Panama, and Mongolia (landlocked).
- Strategic and Environmental Risks: The fleet, often comprising old, poorly insured vessels, not only undermines sanctions but also poses significant environmental and safety risks due to substandard operations.
- Indian Link: In 2022–2023, Mumbai-based Gatik Ship Management (shadow fleet operator) emerged as a major transporter of Russian crude, managing a fleet worth USD 1.5 billion at its peak before transferring all tankers to related companies by August 2023 amid scrutiny.
| Read More: India's Maritime Strategy |
