ORION

The tanker has been implicated in the export of russian crude oil to third countries from ports in the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, including while operating with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) disabled. It was previously involved in the transportation of Venezuelan oil before switching to the carriage of designated russian-origin crude oil.
The international NGO Greenpeace has identified the tanker as part of the shadow fleet transporting russian oil globally via the Baltic Sea, including through the Cadet Canal area in the Bay of Mecklenburg, posing risks to the environment.
The tanker sails under the flag of Cameroon, which is included in the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MOU) blacklist of flags, compiled on the basis of vessel inspection results for technical condition.
According to the analytical centre Lloyd’s List, the tanker is an example of high-risk, dark, and deceptive practices linked to fraudulent actions by technical management companies, which resulted in the allocation of unique International Maritime Organization (IMO) numbers to them. In response, the IMO Legal Committee established an intersessional working group to define the levels of due diligence required for the use of the unique identification number scheme for company owners and IMO-registered shipowners.