Shadow Fleet

The tanker is involved in the delivery of petroleum products from ports in the russian federation (the port of Rostov-on-Don) to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine (the port of Kerch). Specifically, in June 2026, the tanker delivered nearly 4,000 metric tons of diesel fuel from the port of Rostov-on-Don to the port of Kerch for unloading.
The vessel is owned by the russian company Middle-Volga Shipping Company LLC (ООО "Средне-Волжская судоходная компания"), which is subject to Ukrainian sanctions. Within the russian state procurement system, it has acted as a supplier to the sanctioned JSC Rosnefteflot (АО "Роснефтефлот") under at least two contracts worth 94.4 million rubles. JSC Rosnefteflot is part of the group of the sanctioned russian PJSC NK Rosneft (НК "Роснефть") – a russian state-owned oil and gas company and one of the world’s largest oil producers. The main activities of JSC Rosnefteflot include, in particular, chartering tanker fleet vessels in the interests of PJSC NK Rosneft, and organizing river transportation for PJSC NK Rosneft in the Volga–Don, Azov–Don, Volga, and Volga–Baltic basins.
The fleet of the vessel’s owner includes other sanctioned vessels.
The vessel has been implicated in bunkering operations in the Kerch Strait area for the tanker IMO 9842176, which is under U.S. sanctions and affiliated with the sanctioned JSC Rosnefteflot, part of the group of the sanctioned PJSC NK Rosneft. The tanker IMO 9842176 has been involved in the export of russian crude oil from russian ports in the Baltic Sea, primarily to India.

The vessel is affiliated with the russian company Middle-Volga Shipping Company LLC (ООО "Средне-Волжская судоходная компания") – a designated entity under Ukrainian sanctions – which, within the framework of the russian state procurement system, has served as a supplier to the sanctioned Rosnefteflot JSC (АО "Роснефтефлот") under at least two contracts worth a total of 94.4 million rubles. Rosnefteflot JSC is part of the corporate group of the sanctioned russian PJSC Rosneft Oil Company (ПАО "НК "Роснефть""), a state-owned oil and gas company and one of the largest oil producers in the world. The main activities of Rosnefteflot JSC include, in particular, chartering tanker tonnage for PJSC Rosneft Oil Company and organising river transportation in the interests of PJSC Rosneft Oil Company in the Volga– Don, Azov– Don, Volga and Volga– Baltic basins. The fleet of the vessel’s owning company includes other designated vessels.
The tanker has been implicated in bunkering operations in the Kerch Strait area, has made port calls at terminals in the temporarily occupied territory (TOT) of Crimea (Ukraine), and has systematically engaged in dark activity by disabling its Automatic Identification System (AIS) near russian ports in the Sea of Azov, as well as in the Kerch Strait area in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
In September 2024, in the Kerch Strait area, the tanker bunkered the vessel IMO 9851127 and also bunkered the tanker IMO 9640554, the latter affiliated with the designated russian company Rosewood Shipping LLC (ООО "Роузвуд Шиппинг").
As of June 1, 2026, the vessel is in the Caspian Sea, sailing between ports in russia, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan.

The vessel is owned by the russian company Middle-Volga Shipping Company LLC (ООО "Средне-Волжская судоходная компания"), which is subject to Ukrainian sanctions. Within the russian state procurement system, it has acted as a supplier to the sanctioned Rosnefteflot JSC (АО "Роснефтефлот") under at least two contracts worth RUB 94.4 million. Rosnefteflot JSC is part of the group controlled by the sanctioned russian Rosneft Oil Company PJSC (ПАО "НК "Роснефть""), a state-owned oil and gas company and one of the world’s largest oil producers. The main activities of Rosnefteflot JSC include chartering tanker fleet tonnage in favor of Rosneft and organizing river transportation for Rosneft within the Volga– Don, Azov– Don, Volga, and Volga– Baltic basins.
The owner’s fleet includes other sanctioned vessels. The tanker engaged in dark activity in the Kerch Strait area in April, May, and June 2023, as well as in November 2024. In November 2022, it conducted a ship-to-ship (STS) cargo transfer with the tanker IMO 9309576, which is under United States, European Union, and Swiss sanctions and is affiliated with the sanctioned russian Sovcomflot PJSC (ПАО "Совкомфлот"). Sovcomflot is the largest state-owned shipping company in russia, servicing and supporting offshore hydrocarbon production and the transportation of russian oil, oil products, and liquefied natural gas, with its primary charterers being the largest russian oil and gas companies and traders.

The vessel is owned by the sanctioned russian company Middle-Volga Shipping Company LLC (ООО "Средневолжская судоходная компания"), which is subject to Ukrainian sanctions and acts as a supplier to the sanctioned Rosnefteflot JSC (АО "Роснефтефлот") under at least two contracts worth RUB 94.4 million within the russian state procurement system. Rosnefteflot JSC is part of the group of the sanctioned russian state-owned company Rosneft Oil Company PJSC (ПАО "НК "Роснефть"), one of the largest oil producers in the world.
The main activities of Rosnefteflot JSC include chartering tanker vessels for Rosneft PJSC, and organizing river transportation within the Volga-Don, Azov-Don, Volga, and Volga-Baltic basins.
The fleet of the vessel’s owner includes other sanctioned vessels.
Since May 2023, the tanker has been consistently engaged in dark activity near the Kerch Strait, in the Black Sea and Azov Sea, including the area between Mariupol and Yeysk.
In August 2024, the tanker bunkered the sanctioned vessel IMO 9903877 in the Kerch Strait area of the Azov Sea, as well as the vessel IMO 9224441, which is affiliated with the sanctioned russian company Sovcomflot PJSC (ПАО "Совкомфлот")—the largest state-owned shipping company in russia specializing in offshore hydrocarbon support and the transportation of russian oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas. Its vessels are primarily chartered by major russian oil and gas companies and traders.
Also in August 2024, the tanker bunkered the vessels IMO 9720263 (under U.S. sanctions), IMO 9715270, and IMO 8866321—all participants in schemes involving the theft of Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied territories (TOT) of Ukraine.
In November 2022, the tanker conducted a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer with tanker IMO 9309576 (under U.S., EU, and Swiss sanctions), which is also affiliated with Sovcomflot PJSC.

The tanker is involved in the export of russian oil/oil products from russian ports in the Azov and Black Seas, mainly to Turkey and Egypt, uses deceptive practices (AIS shutdown, spoofing), including in the Kerch Strait area, calls at the port of Crimea (a port on the shore of the Kerch Strait, located near the village of Zhukovka, is part of the Kerch ferry service (the line from the port of Crimea to the port of Kavkaz), in 2014-2015 the port was dredged, which increased the capacity of the line), the port of Kerch in the TOT of Crimea.
The vessel is affiliated with the russian company Middle-Volga Shipping Company LLC (under Ukrainian sanctions), which is a supplier to the sanctioned Rosnefteflot JSC (at least under two contracts worth 94.4 million rubles) within the russian state procurement system. Rosnefteflot JSC is a part of the group of the sanctioned russian PJSC Rosneft Oil Company, a russian state-owned oil and gas company, one of the world's largest oil producers. The main activities of Rosnefteflot JSC are, in particular, the chartering of the tanker fleet for the benefit of Rosneft, organization of river transportation in the interests of Rosneft in the Volga-Don, Azov-Don, Volga and Volga-Baltic basins.
The owner and manager of the vessel is the Maltese company Hai Ocean Shipping Co Ltd, which is associated, in particular, with russian citizen Mikhail Slobodov as one of the two owners of the company.

During the oil embargo and price cap policy, the tanker is involved in the export of russian crude oil/petroleum products, including through STS transfers, particularly in the Gulf of Laconikos.
The vessel is also involved in the transportation of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products. Since russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, more than 100 vessels that previously helped Iran export oil are now helping russia transport russian crude oil and petroleum products.
Many tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil to countries such as China are also involved in Venezuelan trade, including tanker IMO 9213296. On June 11, 2022, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi signed a 20-year cooperation agreement to expand ties in the oil and petrochemical industries, as well as in the military and economic spheres. Since then, bilateral ties have begun to develop. Most cargo is transported by ships belonging to the sanctioned National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) in both directions. A significant number of ships flying under foreign (non-Iranian) flags are also involved in this trade.

During the period of the G7, EU oil embargo and price-cap policy on russian crude oil/petroleum products, the tanker was involved in 2023, early 2024 in the export of russian crude oil/petroleum products, and in conducting dark activities at sea, in particular near russian ports in the Black Sea, in the Kola Bay area.
The tanker is affiliated with the Turkish company Active Denizcilik ve Gemi (under UK sanctions), which was the commercial and ISM manager of the vessel from June 2023 to March 2024. Active Denizcilik ve Gemi is one of the top three ranking Turkish operators, which in 2023 provided transportation of tens of millions of barrels of russian oil and oil products. The fleet of the Turkish top three - Beks Tanker Isletmeciligi AS and the sanctioned Beks Gemi Isletmeciligi ve Tic and Active Denizcilik ve Gemi - transported a total of 49 million barrels of russian oil/oil products in 2023.

The vessel makes regular calls to and from the ports in the territory temporarily occupied by russia in Crimea (Sevastopol, Kerch). In particular, on 23 January 2024, it entered Sevastopol Bay, and on 21 March 2024, the tanker entered Sevastopol Bay with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) disabled. According to AIS data, the vessel arrived from the russian port of Temryuk.
Between October 1, 2025, and March 28, 2026, it was used to supply vessels subject to sanctions. The vast majority of operations took place in the waters of Sevastopol Bay and Kamyshova Bay.
Between February 22 and 23, 2026, vessels IMO 8727240 and IMO 6603177 bunkered fuel to the sanctioned vessel IMO 9366110, which loaded 15,088 metric tons of wheat at the "Avlita" terminal in the temporarily occupied seaport of Sevastopol, after which it departed for the Turkish port of Iskenderun. The grain exporter was "Partnership" LLC (TIN: 2311288071).
On June 29, 2026, the vessel IMO 6603177 was bunkering the vessel IMO 9549281— the one that had stolen grain from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine—at the port of Sevastopol.