Russian federation has built up a fleet for illegal oil exports

The russian “shadow” fleet has enough vessels to maintain raw oil exports at current levels.

Currently, there are 1,027 tankers in the russian “shadow” fleet that transport sanctioned cargo around the world. This is enough to maintain exports, albeit at a fairly low level, BRS Group notes.

Most of the vessels used by russia are outdated. At least 111 tankers bought by private companies engaged in sanctions fishing have an average age of 18 years.

These tankers will most likely be used for ship-to-ship transhipment in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores, West Africa and Malaysia.

Previously, USM wrote that russian tankers are hiding near Singapore in the face of EU sanctions.