VOLGONEFT-117

The tanker, which is more than 50 years old, is involved in servicing (bunkering) vessels with russian affiliation involved in the theft of Ukrainian grain from the TOT of Ukraine, tankers of the shadow fleet of the russian federation, in particular in the Kerch Strait area, including the use of deceptive practices (disabling AIS, conducting dark activities in the Kerch Strait area).
In September 2024, in the Kerch Strait area, there was a bunkering of vessel IMO 9720263, which sails under the russian flag and is under USA sanctions and is involved in the export of Ukrainian grain from the port of Sevastopol (TOT Crimea, Ukraine) to the Iranian port of Bender-Imam Khomeini, Syria and Yemen with the AIS signal turned off according to the traditional scheme of concealing calls to Ukrainian ports in the TOT of Ukraine.
In August 2024, the tanker IMO 9224441, affiliated with the sanctioned PJSC Sovcomflot, the largest state-owned shipping company in russia for servicing and supporting offshore hydrocarbon production, transportation of russian oil, oil products, liquefied gas, the main charterers of which are the largest oil and gas companies and traders in russia, was bunkered in the Kerch Strait (for 5 hours). The tanker IMO 9224441, in turn, is involved in the export of russian oil to third countries from russian ports, including with the AIS signal turned off, and is involved in STS transfers of russian petroleum products in the Kerch Strait area in the Black Sea for further transportation to third countries.
In August 2024, there was a bunkering of the tanker IMO 9242223, which is considered to be part of the shadow fleet, called at a russian port, where the price of oil was steadily trading above the upper limit of the price cap, which was subject to USA sanctions in January 2025.
In June 2024, in the Kerch Strait area, there was a bunkering (for 4 hours) of the tanker IMO 9198783, which in January 2025 was subject to USA sanctions for its connection with a sanctioned russian company operating in the energy sector of the russian economy.
The vessel belongs to the russian company Middle-Volga Shipping Company LLC (subject to Ukrainian sanctions), which is a supplier to the sanctioned Rosnefteflot JSC under the russian state procurement system (at least under two contracts worth 94.4 million rubles). Rosnefteflot JSC is a part of the group of the sanctioned 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 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 fleet of the company-owner of the vessel includes sanctioned vessels.