VOLGONEFT-111

The vessel is owned by the russian company Middle-Volga Shipping Company LLC (subject to Ukrainian sanctions), which is a supplier to the sanctioned Rosnefteflot JSC (under at least 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, chartering of the tanker fleet in favor of Rosneft, organization of river transportation in the interests of Rosneft in the Volga-Don, Azov-Don, Volga and Volga-Baltic basins.
The fleet of the tanker's owner includes sanctioned vessels.
Since May 2023, the tanker has been systematically engaged in dark activities in the Kerch Strait area in the Azov and Black Seas, in the Azov Sea between Mariupol and Yeysk.
In August 2024, the tanker bunkered the sanctioned vessel IMO 9903877 in the Kerch Strait area of the Azov Sea, IMO 9224441, affiliated with the sanctioned Russian PJSC Sovcomflot, the largest state-owned shipping company in Russia for servicing and supporting offshore hydrocarbon production, transportation of Russian oil, petroleum products, and liquefied natural gas, whose main charterers are the largest oil and gas companies and traders in Russia. In August 2024, the tanker also bunkered vessels IMO 9720263 (under USA sanctions), IMO 9715270, and IMO 8866321, which were involved in schemes to steal Ukrainian grain from the TOT of Ukraine. In November 2022, the tanker carried out an STS transfer in the Kerch Strait with tanker IMO 9309576 (under USA, EU, Swiss sanctions), affiliated with the sanctioned russian PJSC Sovcomflot.