During the period of the G7 and EU oil embargo and the price cap policy on russian crude oil/petroleum products, the tanker is involved in the export of russian crude oil/petroleum products mainly from russian ports in the Black Sea, including through STS transfers with shadow fleet tankers and vessels, affiliated with the russian sanctioned PAO Sovcomflot, the largest state-owned shipping company in russia that services and supports offshore hydrocarbon production, transportation of russian oil, oil products, and liquefied natural gas, whose main charterers are the largest oil and gas companies and traders in russia. Transshipment of crude oil/petroleum products of russian origin at sea using the STS method allows concealing the ownership and origin of the cargo, and legalizing their supply to the EU, the US and other countries. In turn, the sale of crude oil/petroleum products on the world market allows accumulating significant financial resources in the state budget of the russian federation, which are used, among other things, to build up the military potential of the aggressor state and to provide material support for russia's military operations on the territory of Ukraine. The tanker makes calls at the ports of the TOT Crimea of Ukraine (in particular, in March 2025), the Sheskharis terminal (port of Novorossiysk), which is a transshipment complex, the end point of the main pipelines of Chernomortransneft JSC (TIN: 2315072242, under US sanctions), a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian PJSC Transneft (TIN: 7706061801), the Taman crude oil/petroleum products transshipment complex, systematically engages in dark activities near russian ports in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Kerch Strait.
In March 2025, after leaving the Kerch Strait area, where the vessel had been conducting dark activities for a long time, the tanker made an STS transfer near Greece with the IMO 9402732 VLCC-class tanker affiliated with the Indian company Gatik Ship Management, one of the leading operators of the so-called "shadow" fleet involved in the transportation of russian crude oil/petroleum products under Western sanctions in 2022-2023.
In December 2024, January, March 2025, in the Temryuk Bay area, tanker IMO 9263198 made an STS transfer with tanker IMO 9224441, which is affiliated with the sanctioned PJSC Sovcomflot through related companies, including the sanctioned Sun Ship Management, SCF Management Services LTD.
In December 2024, February 2025, in the Kerch Strait and the russian port of Gelendzhik, respectively, tanker IMO 9263198 carried out an STS transfer with tanker IMO 9258167, affiliated with the sanctioned PJSC Sovcomflot.
In December 2024, in the Kerch Strait area, tanker IMO 9263198 conducted an STS transmission with tanker IMO 9236640, which is considered part of the shadow fleet and was subject to US sanctions in January 2025.
In December 2024, in the Kerch Strait area, tanker IMO 9263198 bunkered the vessel IMO 9715270, which was involved in the export of Ukrainian grain from the port of Sevastopol (TOT Crimea, Ukraine) to Iran and Syria.
In July 2024 and April 2023, the tanker IMO 9263198 was involved in the export of russian oil products (over 65 thousand tons in total) from the russian port of Tuapse, where the production complex belonging to the sanctioned PJSC Rosneft Oil Company, the Tuapse Oil Refinery with a sea terminal, is located. The sender of the cargo was the sanctioned russian company Rosneft, and the shipment was also made at the request of Turkiye Petrol Rafinerileri A.S. The recipient of the cargo was Guron Trading Limited (Hong Kong), which was sanctioned by the United States in January 2025 as part of the restrictions on traders in russian oil, and at the request of Square Energy DMCC.
On May 09, 2025, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the tanker as part of the restrictions on the shadow fleet of the russian federation, including for engaging in activities aimed at destabilizing Ukraine, undermining/threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine or benefiting from or supporting the government of russia, and participating in the transportation of crude oil/petroleum products of russian origin, in particular, from russia to a third country.