Tankers

Tankers under US sanctions and near Venezuela have officially changed their flags to Russian ones.

The “Qendil” tanker, part of the so-called “shadow fleet” and which was hit by naval drones in December 2025, ran aground in the Aegean Sea.

The crew of the tanker Bella 1, which was heading to Venezuela and which the US military tried to stop in the Caribbean Sea, managed to obtain protection in Russia.

Oil volumes at sea have surged, with supplies stalling despite the highest shipments from Russia in 2.5 years.

Graham stressed that Washington “will not give up trying to lure Putin to the negotiating table,” but another rejection of compromises should have consequences.

The Russian Federation is recruiting people with military backgrounds to its “shadow fleet” who spy on EU waters, monitor captains’ actions, and may be involved in sabotage.

Tanker trips from Novorossiysk are increasingly taking a coastal corridor along Georgia and Turkey, lengthening the crossing and making monitoring more difficult.

Russia is conducting a military operation in the Baltic Sea to cover up the so-called shadow tanker fleet.

This time, the tanker Dashan, which was coming from India, was affected.

EU ambassadors have agreed on new sanctions against Russia. They plan to add 43 more ships of the so-called “shadow fleet” to the sanctions list.