Russia has purchased a third of tankers for the “shadow fleet” from the US and EU after 2022
5.02.2025 - 10:15
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, about 230 tankers from Western companies have joined the Russian “shadow fleet.”
This is stated in the investigation of an international journalistic consortium, writes LIGA.
Previously, a third of the entire “shadow fleet” of Russia (230 out of 650 tankers) belonged to Western companies, in particular from Germany, the USA and the EU.
“The vessels were sold at significantly inflated prices, as the demand for old tankers increased sharply after the start of the war. Formally, the sale of these tankers is not illegal,” the investigation says.
At the same time, analysts from Lloyd’s List Intelligence noted that it was obvious that the vessels would eventually end up in Russian possession.
Some deals look particularly dubious: for example, the tanker Chemtrans Carolina was bought in 2022 by a Norwegian investment company, and a year later sold to a Chinese company, established just two months before the deal. Now the vessel called Sino Prosperity serves Russian oil routes.
From 2022 to 2024 inclusive, German companies alone sold at least 11 tankers that are now operating for Russia, earning about €200 million. Among the sellers are shipping companies Schulte Group, Chemikalien Seetransport (Hamburg) and Salamon AG (Dortmund).
Representatives of German shipping companies defend their actions, claiming that they checked the buyers, and the deals were concluded before the war began. However, experts insist: the increase in prices for old tankers after February 2022 made their sale an extremely profitable business.
Recall that from 2023 the European Commission has made it mandatory to report the sale of tankers to third countries, but legal loopholes remain. Brussels is considering the possibility of new sanctions that could affect these vessels and their operators.
Earlier, the Defense Intelligence reported that Russia spent more than $10 billion on tankers of the “shadow fleet”.
