Russia plans to re-register about 80 tankers in the near future
12.03.2026 - 12:52
The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine has received information about the Kremlin’s plans to increase the number of tankers transporting oil under the Russian flag.
This decision is dictated by the increasingly frequent precedents of detentions of tankers of the so-called “shadow fleet” of the Russian Federation by European countries and the United States, the Foreign Intelligence Service reports.
“In addition, this may indicate Russia’s interaction with Iran in the context of coordinating the safe passage of ships of the “shadow fleet” through the zone of military conflict in the Middle East,” the report says.
According to the SVR, the federal autonomous institution “Russian Maritime Register of Shipping”, which is under EU sanctions, plans to identify and inspect about 80 tankers in the near future with the aim of their re-registration.
The distribution of tankers by country of registration of shipowners is as follows: Seychelles – 35 vessels, China – 23 vessels, Azerbaijan – 13 vessels and Samoa – 8 vessels. In addition, there are tankers belonging to shipowners registered in Vietnam, India, the UAE and the Marshall Islands.
The intelligence service notes that the increase in the “shadow fleet” under the Russian flag automatically facilitates Russia’s task of introducing agents of the Russian special services onto them for the purpose of further carrying out intelligence and sabotage activities against Western countries. This is of particular relevance in the Baltic region, through which more than 40% of Russian oil exports are provided.
“Registration of tankers under the Russian flag finally “unties the hands” of the Kremlin in the context of using such vessels as a tool of hybrid threats for Europe and other Western countries. This is the method used in January 2026 against the tanker Bella 1 (IMO:9230880), which was transporting oil for Iran and Venezuela. This “shadow fleet” vessel received Russian registration immediately after it was discovered that it had been falsely flagged by Guyana,” the agency noted.
Recall that the tanker Marinera, which the US had been pursuing off the coast of Venezuela for over a week, changed its name and flag to Russian.
