A network of Baltic companies refuels Russian tankers under sanctions, — LRT

Over the past 9 months, 286 refueling operations of 177 Russian tankers were recorded by Fast Bunkering companies.

This is stated in the investigation of the Lithuanian media company LRT.

The network of Fast Bunkering companies from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia refuels tankers of the so-called Russian “shadow fleet”, which transport oil from the Russian Federation in violation of international sanctions.

The refueling itself was repeatedly carried out by the bunkering tankers Rina and Zircone, which control firms associated with this group of companies.

According to journalists, from June 2024 to March 2025, Rina and Zircone carried out 286 operations, refueling 177 tankers with oil and oil products, of which at least 159 entered Russian ports shortly before or after these shipments.

The article cites data from the financial and analytical company S&P Global, according to which in the 12 months to April 2024, at least 3,100 refueling operations of Russian shadow fleet tankers were carried out near the coasts of Malta, Greece, Spain (Gibraltar), the Netherlands and other European countries.

At the same time, according to the Finnish media company Yle, 31 “shadow” Russian tankers were recorded in Finland during the week, which passed through the Gulf of Finland.

Commenting on the situation to AFP, the head of the Finnish border guard service Mikko Hirvi said that, in his assessment, Russian maritime transport today is at the same level as before the start of the Russian war against Ukraine.

“This means that the movement of vessels is largely carried out at the expense of the “shadow fleet,” he noted.

Recall that in September 2025 alone, Russia’s crude oil exports increased from 22 to 23 million tons. Almost all of the increase was provided by Russian ports in the Black Sea.

Read also: Russia’s seaborne crude oil exports are not decreasing, but growing, – Klymenko.