Russia spent over $10 billion on “shadow fleet” tankers, — Defense Intelligence
3.02.2025 - 14:32
Since the introduction of the price limit for Russian oil, Moscow has spent more than $10 billion on the ships of the “shadow fleet”.
This was reported to RBC-Ukraine by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
This fleet includes old tankers that transport Russian oil at prices higher than the limit, and are also not insured by Western companies.
Currently, Russia’s “shadow fleet” includes up to 1,000 units of mostly outdated vessels with a total deadweight of over 100 million tons. In 2023, there were about 600 units, the Defense Intelligence noted.
Also, according to intelligence data, since the introduction of the price limit for Russian oil in December 2022, Russia has spent more than $10 billion on the acquisition of “shadow fleet” vessels. These tankers provide the export of about 70% of Russian crude oil and petroleum products transported by sea.
The Defense Intelligence listed the countries where tankers of the “shadow fleet” are mainly registered – Panama, Gabon, the Cook Islands, Liberia, the Marshall Islands, etc.
The owners of the vessels are registered in the PRC, India, the Marshall Islands and the Seychelles, as well as in the UAE, Greece and a number of other countries.
The management companies are located, among others, in the UAE, Greece, the PRC, Turkey and the Seychelles.
USM previously reported that the shipowners of the sanctioned fleet are trying to meet with the Trump administration.
