GELMOND 3

During the period when Western sanctions are in effect, the vessel is involved in russian seaborne coal exports, particularly from the ports of Yeysk and Novorossiysk.
The vessel regularly calls at ports in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, in particular in November and December 2025, and January and February 2026, at the port of Kerch.
The vessel is operated by Sarfo Denizcilik Ve Ticaret AS (Turkey) and Albros Denizcilik Ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi (Turkey), both of which are affiliated with Raim Alekperov. Albros Denizcilik Ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi was registered on December 12, 1996, is based in Istanbul (Turkey), and specializes in the transportation of bulk, steel, and general/project cargo. The company operates a fleet of shallow-draft dry cargo ships and tankers, provides operational and technical management of its fleet, and offers agency services in the Bosphorus Strait and major Turkish ports.
Alekperov’s business is closely tied to russia: for many years, vessels from his companies’ fleet have carried out regular cargo transportation between Turkey and russia in the Black Sea. At the same time, Alekperov’s fleet contributes to the advancement of russia’s interests in the temporarily occupied territories (TOT) of Ukraine—a significant portion of the fleet frequently calls at ports in the TOT of Ukraine, including the ports of Krym, Komysh-Burun, Kerch, and Mariupol.
The vessel FITBURG (IMO 9250397) belongs to the fleet of Alekperov’s companies—Sarfo Denizcilik Ve Ticaret AS and Albros Denizcilik Ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi. On December 31, 2025, the vessel FITBURG (IMO 9250397) was detained by the Finnish Coast Guard on suspicion of damaging an underwater telecommunications cable belonging to Elisa between Finland and Estonia. According to the investigation, the vessel was moving with its anchor lowered, dragging along the seabed. The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation classifies the case as intentional property damage and obstruction of telecommunications. The attorney for the vessel’s owner in the case of the detention of the FITBURG (IMO 9250397) is Herman Ljungberg, who also served as the lawyer for the company that owns the russian shadow fleet tanker EAGLE S, suspected of severing the Estlink 2 cables between Estonia and Finland with its anchor on December 25, 2024. There were 14 crew members on board the FITBURG (IMO 9250397)—citizens of russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. On January 11, 2026, the Helsinki District Court arrested one of the crew members of the FITBURG, and several other sailors were prohibited from leaving Finnish territory.