Marine vessels

It is involved in the transportation of weapons, including from Syria to russia through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. In particular, after the beginning of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in April 2022, the ship was recorded by a speed spotter in the Bosphorus with military equipment on board, in August 2022, the vessel provided the transfer of weapons, including S-300 air defense systems from Syria to the russian port of Novorossiysk, probably for use in the war against Ukraine. It is involved in the transportation of some military equipment from the russian naval base in Tartus (Syria) to Libya after the fall of the Assad regime. Thus, the vessel left the russian naval base in Baltiysk on December 13, 2024, and was spotted in the Mediterranean Sea in the Tunisian EEZ on January 06, 2025. The vessel plans to arrive at the port of Tartus on January 08, 2025. The vessel is a multifunctional vessel with horizontal and vertical loading and unloading capabilities, designed for the transportation of rolling equipment, trailers and semi-trailers, transportation of cargo in containers, and general cargo. The vessel has two lower holds with a total cargo deck length of 70.7 m and a width of 15.6 m, a twin deck deck with a length of 109.3 m and a width of 15.2 m, and one open upper deck with a length of 96.2 m and a width of 15.6 m. The vessel's cargo spaces can carry loaded containers of up to 213 TEU or empty containers of up to 783 TEU. The vessel has the capacity to connect 40 refrigerated containers. In addition, the vessel can carry up to 20 units of standard road trains up to 17 meters long. Since November 2022, the vessel has been involved in the transportation of containers, rolling equipment, and general cargo on the Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Kaliningrad container line. On July 05, 2024, the vessel resumed operations on the line under the management of the russian sanctioned Oboronlogistika LLC. Oboronlogistika LLC is a russian shipping company that operates as part of the military construction complex of the russian Ministry of defense. the main tasks of Oboronlogistika LLC are to meet the needs of the russian Ministry of defense in the transportation, storage and production of military and special purpose goods, the company is the sole provider of transportation services for the Ministry of defense of russia, transporting troops to certain regions of russia, delivering goods to the temporarily occupied Crimea (Ukraine). In May 2022, USA imposed sanctions on three vessels, including the Sparta II, affiliated with the sanctioned russian company Oboronlogistika LLC.

It is involved in the regular transportation of military cargo and military personnel from Novorossiysk (russia) to Tartus (Syria), and back, and allegedly from Tartus to the ports of the TOT Crimea (Ukraine). Also the vessel is involved in the transportation of ilmenite for the russian-seized "Crimean Titan" to the TOT of Crimea, and operates on the Novorossiysk (russia) - Tartus (Syria) line. Since the end of 2023, the vessel has been transferred from the Novorossiysk-Tartus line to the St. Petersburg-Kaliningrad container ferry. On 28.07.2023, the Federal Transport Supervision Service of the russian federation issued a licence allowing the vessel to transport all types of dangerous goods, including radioactive cargo (hazard class 7). The vessel has appropriate additional equipment and some crew members have undergone specialised training. The design of the dry cargo vessel is fully suitable for transporting cargoes of all hazard classes, including radioactive ones. The vessel has a deck for containers and general cargo, two holds, one of which is equipped for the transport of nuclear fuel waste. In May 2022, USA imposed sanctions on the "Pizhma", which was owned by the then-sanctioned russian shipping company SK-Yug LLC, a subsidiary of the then-sanctioned russian company Oboronlogistika LLC. Oboronlogistika LLC is a shipping company that operates as part of the military construction complex of the russian ministry of defence. The main objectives of Oboronlogistika LLC are to meet the needs of the russian ministry of defence in the transportation, storage and production of military and special-purpose goods. Oboronlogistika LLC is the sole provider of transport services for the russian ministry of defence, transporting troops to certain regions of russia and delivering cargo to temporarily occupied Crimea (Ukraine). Since July 2023, the vessel has been owned by the russian shipping company Obl-shipping LLC, which is part of Oboronlogistika Group.

It is involved in the transportation of military cargo and military personnel from Novorossiysk (russia) to Tartus (Syria), and back, and allegedly from Tartus to the ports of the TOT Crimea (Ukraine). The vessel is involved in the russian so-called rescue group, accompanied by the russian large amphibious assault ships 'ivan gren' and 'aleksandr otrakovsky', to transport some military equipment from the russian naval base in tartus (Syria) to Libya after the fall of the Assad regime. On the territory of the base in Tartus, there are, in particular, mercenaries of the “African Corps” controlled by the russian ministry of defense. Chief of Staff of the 121st Brigade of Landing Ships of the russian aggressor fleet, captain 1st rank yuri albertovich davitian is on board the otrakovsky. On December 11, 2024, Sparta left the russian naval base in Baltiysk, and on January 05, 2025, it was spotted in the Mediterranean Sea in the Syrian EEZ. On January 05, 2025, the vessel was supposed to arrive at a Syrian port, but as of the morning of January 07, 2025, it sails off the coast of Syria, probably waiting for permission to enter the port of Tartus from the new Syrian authorities. The vessel is involved in the Ust-Luga-Baltic container ferry (transportation of containers, rolling equipment, general cargo). It belongs to the sanctioned russian shipping company SK-Yug LLC, a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian company Oboronlogistika LLC. Oboronlogistika LLC. Oboronlogistika LLC is a shipping company that operates as part of the military construction complex of the russian ministry of defence. The main objectives of Oboronlogistika LLC are to meet the needs of the russian ministry of defence in the transportation, storage and production of military and special-purpose goods. Oboronlogistika LLC is the sole provider of transport services for the ministry of defence of russia, transporting troops to certain regions of russia and delivering goods to the temporarily occupied Crimea (Ukraine). In May 2022, USA imposed sanctions on Sparta as a property of SK-Yug LLC.

It is involved in the transportation of military equipment for the russian troops in Syria The vessel belongs to the sanctioned russian shipping company SK-South LLC, a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian company Oboronlogistika LLC. OOO Oboronlogistika. Oboronlogistika LLC is a shipping company that operates within the military construction complex of the russian ministry of defence. The main objectives of Oboronlogistika LLC are to meet the needs of the russian ministry of defence in the transportation, storage and production of military and special-purpose goods. Oboronlogistika LLC is the sole provider of transport services for the russian ministry of defence, transporting troops to certain regions of russia and delivering cargo to temporarily occupied Crimea (Ukraine). In May 2022, USA imposed sanctions on "Ursa Major" as a property of SK-South LLC. After a long period of work in the Caspian Sea to provide transportations between the ports of russia and Iran, in September 2023 completed the passage to the Azov-Black Sea basin, where it was without AIS signal. The vessel made calls at the port of Taurus (Syria) using an AIS disconnection scheme to conceal destinations. While making voyages to Syria, passed the Bosphorus Strait without waiting. In accordance with established practice, vessels wait for their turn to pass for a certain period of time. This is only possible with prior agreement with representatives of the Turkish maritime administration The russian federation continues to use cargo vessels to move cargo, including military cargo, through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. During 2022-2023, these straits were crossed by russian cargo vessels affiliated with Oboronlogistika LLC, namely: "Sparta IV", "Ursa Major", "Sparta II". These vessels were travelling along the routes Novorossiysk Port (russia) - Bosphorus - Dardanelles - Tartus Port (Syria). Since March 2024, the vessel has been sailing between the ports of Baltiysk - Kronstadt - St Petersburg. On December 24, 2024, the vessel Ursa Major sank in international waters between Spain and Algeria after an explosion in the engine room, 14 crew members were rescued, two went missing. According to ship tracking data, the Ursa Major left the port of St. Petersburg on December 11, 2024, and was scheduled to arrive in Vladivostok on January 22, 2025. According to the captain, at the time of the accident, the ship was carrying empty containers, while a few days before the sinking, the press service of the russian “Oboronlogistika” announced that the Ursa Major was being sent to the Far East with “a large project cargo as part of the implementation of state tasks for the development of port infrastructure and the Northern Sea Route”, the ship was loaded with port cranes weighing 380 tons each, necessary for the expansion of the terminal in Vladivostok, and 45-ton hatch covers for new icebreakers.

The vessel belongs to the sanctioned russian shipping company SK-Yug LLC, a subsidiary of the sanctioned russian company Oboronlogistika LLC. Oboronlogistika LLC. Oboronlogistika LLC is a shipping company that operates within the military construction complex of the russian ministry of defence. The main objectives of Oboronlogistika LLC are to meet the needs of the russian ministry of defence in the transportation, storage and production of military and special-purpose goods. Oboronlogistika LLC is the sole provider of transport services for the russian ministry of defence, transporting troops to certain regions of russia and delivering cargo to temporarily occupied Crimea (Ukraine). In May 2022, the U.S. imposed sanctions on vessel as a property of SK-Yug LLC. Engaged by russia for important maritime logistics operations since 2018. The design, certification and capabilities of the Sparta IV make it an excellent transit vessel for large military equipment. Its volumetric payload capacity, two cranes capable of lifting up to 55 tonnes and overall displacement mean the vessel can easily transport heavy military cargo such as the T-90 tanks deployed in Syria. In 2023, the vessel made at least 6 voyages between the military ports of Tartus, Syria and Novorossiysk, russia: 14-25 January, 01-06 March, 8-15 April, 16-25 May, 25 June-15 July (reportedly unloading military equipment at the port of Novorossiysk), and 10 August. On each of these voyages, the Sparta IV only called at terminals of the russian naval base. Among the cargoes carried could be missiles for the S-300 SAM system, which is regularly used to shell Kharkiv and frontline Ukrainian cities. Thus "Sparta IV", heading from Syria to the port of Novorossiysk with heavy cargo, on the night of Sunday 05.03.2023 passed the Bosphorus Strait with probably the mentioned missiles on board. The vessel was loaded at the russian naval base in Tartus, Syria. Military vehicles were involved in the loading and the vessel's large holds were opened at the time. When the Sparta IV passed the Bosphorus, it had a draft of 6.2 metres (20 feet), which implies a heavy load. In addition, the Sparta IV had already delivered military cargoes in August 2022. At that time, russian missiles for the S-300 SAM system were unloaded from the vessel in Novorossiysk. The russian federation continues to use cargo vessels to move cargo, including military cargo, through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. During 2022-2023, these straits were crossed by russian cargo vessels affiliated with Oboronlogistika LLC, namely: "Sparta IV", "Ursa Major", "Sparta II". The said vessels were operating on the routes Novorossiysk Port (russia) - Bosphorus - Dardanelles - Tartus Port (Syria). On 15.07.2023 the vessel "Sparta IV" in the port of Novorossiysk was involved in loading artillery systems (probably M-46, D-30 or 2B16 "Nona"), which were delivered by the vessel to the Syrian port of Tartus on 07.08.2023. After that the vessel returned to the port of Novorossiysk, and already on 30.08.2023 made a call to the port of Sevastopol (TOT Crimea), where it made a call on 30.08.2023 in an empty state for scheduled repairs. In 2024, the vessel continued to operate on the Novorossiysk (russia) - Tartus (Syria) line. In particular, in February 2024, the vessel sailed from Novorossiysk to Tartus together with the tanker ‘Yaz’ (IMO 9735323), the rollers ‘Lady Maria’ (IMO 9220641) and ‘Baltic Leader’ (IMO 9220639), which were first used on the Novorossiysk-Tartus line. In June 2024, the vessel was deployed on the St Petersburg - Kaliningrad container line, where it made two colonies. At the end of June 2024, the vessel made a crossing of the North Sea. It is likely that the vessel will be engaged in the summer to deliver cargoes required for the construction of a new terminal and field development from the port of Arkhangelsk to the port of Bukhta Sever.

The vessel makes calls at the ports of the TOT of Crimea (Ukraine) and is involved in regular deliveries of Shahed 136/131 UAVs from Iran to russia via the Caspian Sea with the AIS signal disabled. From Tehran, the drones are delivered to the Iranian port of Amirabad, from where they are vesselped to Makhachkala by sea. Then, the drones and launchers are transported by air and land to launching sites near the borders of Ukraine - Seshcha in the north, in Bryansk Oblast, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in the south, in Krasnodar Krai. It is also involved in violations of the 'Crimean sanctions'. Ladoga shipping company LLC, a shipping company based in Astrakhan on the Caspian Sea, whose vessels previously entered the temporarily occupied Crimea and transported military cargo for delivery to the Iranian military on behalf of Rosoboronexport. In February and September 2024, the vessel sanctioned by USА and United Kingdom, respectively. On February 21, 2025, Canada imposed sanctions on the vessel.

It was involved in transportation of military cargoes (ammunition, shells, armored vests and helmets) from Iran to russia via the Caspian Sea with AIS disconnection. The vessel is also mentioned as being involved in trade cooperation between Iran and russia. From July 2022 to June 2023, the russian-flagged vessel called 15 times at the Iranian ports of Amirabad, Nowshahr, Astara, Anzali, from which it departed for the russian port of Astrakhan and in the opposite direction. The Iranian port of Amirabad is the key point of Iranian drone shipments to russia. Drones are delivered from Tehran to the Iranian port of Amirabad, from where they are transported by sea to Makhachkala, and then by airplanes and ground transportation to launching airfields near the Ukrainian border - Seshcha at the north, in the Bryansk region, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk at the south, in the Krasnodar region. There is a practice of incorrect display of the vessel's load, in some voyages it is impossible to identify the place of loading/unloading. The vessel practises disconnection of AIS near the port, as a result of which the port call is not recorded. The owner of the vessel is the russian LLC "Declaration Firm "VTS-Broker" (TIN 3017037318), which is part of the structure of "VTS Group of Companies", positioned as the largest freight forwarder in the Astrakhan region in the market of transportation and logistics services for general, tare and piece cargoes and containers in russia and the Caspian littoral states. The company's fleet includes seven dry-cargo vessels. Among the company's main clients are sub-sanctioned russian PJSC Mechel (TIN 7703370008), Gazprom Dobycha Astrakhan LLC (TIN 3006006420). On 10 September 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the vessel. On February 21, 2025, Canada imposed sanctions on the vessel.

It is involved in transportation of military cargoes (ammunition, shells, armored vests and helmets) from Iran to russia via the Caspian Sea with AIS disconnection. The vessel is also mentioned as being involved in trade cooperation between Iran and russia. From July 2022 to June 2023, the russian-flagged vessel called 11 times at the Iranian ports of Amirabad, Nowshahr, Astara, Anzali, from which it departed for the russian port of Astrakhan and in the opposite direction. The Iranian port of Amirabad is the key point of Iranian drone shipments to russia. Drones are delivered from Tehran to the Iranian port of Amirabad, from where they are transported by sea to Makhachkala, and then by airplanes and ground transportation to launching airfields near the Ukrainian border - Seshcha at the north, in the Bryansk region, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk at the south, in the Krasnodar region. There is a practice of incorrect display of the vessel's load, in some voyages it is impossible to identify the place of loading/unloading. The vessel practises disconnection of AIS near the port, as a result of which the port call is not recorded. On 10 September 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the vessel. On February 21, 2025, Canada imposed sanctions on the vessel.

It was involved in the transportation of ammunition from Iran to russia across the Caspian sea in February 2024. The vessel started calling Iranian ports in 2019-2020. From August 2022 to June 2023, the russian-flagged vessel called 13 times at the Iranian ports of Amirabad, Nowshahr, Anzali, from which it departed for the russian ports of Astrakhan, Makhachkala, Olya and in the opposite direction. The ship practiced disabling its AIS near the port, resulting in no fixed port call. The Iranian port of Amirabad is a key point of Iranian drone shipments to rf. The drones are delivered from Tehran to the Iranian port of Amirabad, from where they are transported by sea to Makhachkala, and then by airplanes and ground transportation to launching airfields near the Ukrainian border - Seshcha at the north, in the Bryansk region, and Primorsko-Akhtarsk at the south, in the Krasnodar region. On 10 September 2024, USA and United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the vessel. On February 21, 2025, Canada imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The vessel is designed to carry heavy vehicles and can accommodate up to 700 tonnes of cargo, including up to 20 trucks and more than 130 passengers. Since 2015, in violation of Ukrainian legislation and the ‘Crimean’ sanctions, the vessel has been making frequent calls to the ports of the TOT of Crimea (Kerch, Kamysh-Burun, and the port of Crimea), delivering cargo, including dangerous goods, and transporting russian military personnel. On 27 July 2022, the vessel made a so-called ‘technical’ (trial) voyage from Yeysk (Krasnodar Territory, russia) to the temporarily occupied city of Mariupol (Ukraine), which is likely used by the russian military to arrange the supply of weapons, military equipment and military personnel to the TOT of Ukraine. Since October 2022, together with the ferry ‘Maria E’ (IMO 9617923), it has been operating on the strategically important for Russia line ‘Crimea-Caucasus’, which, according to Oboronlogistika LLC, is focused on the delivery of civilian and construction cargo to the TOT of Donbas (the vessel has been already involved in this route in the period from 2015 to 2018 before the commissioning of the Crimean bridge). The vessel was involved in fulfilling the tasks set by the supreme commander-in-chief of the russian federation at the Kerch ferry crossing. Since March 2018, the vessel has been involved in the transportation of troops and cargo for the benefit of the Rosgvardia on the ferry route ‘port of Kavkaz - port of Kerch,’ and in November 2022, it was used by the russian company OBL-Trans LLC, a member of the Oboronlogistika group of companies, in the multimodal delivery of medical equipment (a 27-tonne russian-made mobile tomograph) to the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. The vessel is owned and operated by OBL-Shipping LLC (IMO 5945681, TIN: 9705070412, under Ukrainian sanctions), which is a subsidiary of the sanctioned Oboronlogistica LLC (IMO 5906931, TIN: 7718857267). Obl-Shipping LLC also manages the vessels ‘Pizhma’ (IMO 8814354), ‘Ambal’ (IMO 8807416), ‘Sparta II’ (IMO 9160994) on strategic routes important for russia, constantly monitors the serviceability of the fleet, compliance with the rules of safe operation of vessels, etc., and is a certified company for the provision of services for the maritime transportation of nuclear materials, radioactive substances, and radioactive waste.

In 2023-2024, the vessel was used to transport weapons (military equipment and ammunition) to russia. The vessel is involved in the delivery of ballistic missiles from Iran to russia (Olya port, Astrakhan region) in August-September 2024. At the end of 2023, Iran and russia agreed to transfer weapons systems from Iran to russia. It is known that among the systems that Iran agreed to provide to russia are Fath-360 short-range ballistic missiles (CRBM). In early July 2024, about 40 russian servicemen allegedly traveled to Iran to train on Fath-360 CRBM missiles. In August 2024, 25 20-foot-long containers were loaded with ballistic missiles at a missile facility in Iran. Each 20-foot-long container can hold up to nine CRBMs. In mid-August 2024, these 25 containers were transported to the port of Amirabad on the Caspian Sea in Iran and then loaded onto the "Port Olya-3" vessel by August 30. Subsequently, by September 04, 2024, these 25 containers were unloaded from the vessel "Port Olya-3" and loaded onto railroad cars in the port of Olya (russia). The vessel is owned by a russian sanctioned company, MG-Flot LLC, associated with Astrakhan businessman Jamaldin Emirmagomedovich Pashayev, who built his business around the Olya trade port in Astrakhan region. This particular location was proposed as a key logistics hub for the North-South international transport corridor, the creation and construction of which was overseen and controlled by former russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. The key purpose of the transport corridor was to trade with sanctioned Iran, which could import and export goods via the North-South route. On 10 September 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the vessel. On October 18, 2024, United Kingdom imposed sanctions on a ship in connection with the transportation of military cargo from a third country (Iran) to a certain location in russia. On February 21, 2025, Canada imposed sanctions on the vessel.

The vessel is involved in numerous cases of export of Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied port of Mariupol (TOT of Ukraine). The vessel was captured on russian propaganda videos from the temporarily occupied port of Mariupol during the process of loading grain onto several russian vessels ‘STK-1003’ (IMO 8326058), ‘STK-1016’ (IMO 8521880), ‘Mezhdurechensk’ (IMO 8948167). The vessel is owned by the russian company Remote Marine Terminal LLC (TIN: 7810707496). Several companies loaded grain onto the russian vessels: - Santrade LLC (formerly Sanagro LLC, TIN: 6168119060, Rostov-on- Don), which specialises in the wholesale of grain, unprocessed tobacco, seeds and feed for farm animals. In 2023, the company loaded Ukrainian wheat on all three vessels. The founder of Santrade LLC, Mishchuk M.Y., is the founder of three other companies registered in the TOT of Donetsk region and trading in agricultural crops (mainly grain), namely: AF Agroservice LLC (TIN: 9306001978), Aleksandrovskoye LLC (TIN: 9312009862) and Donagroalliance LLC (TIN: 9309020224), as well as a metallurgical enterprise - Donetsk Foundry LLC (TIN: 9308024353); - Zorka Food LLC (TIN: 9721152398, Moscow), which specialises in the wholesale trade of food, grain, etc; - Asta Group LLC (TIN: 9303017257, TOT of Donetsk), specialising in the wholesale of grain, unprocessed tobacco, seeds and feed for farm animals. The founder of Asta Group LLC, Asatryan R. N., owns Farm Agro-Soyuz LLC (TIN: 9500011198, TOT of Kherson region), which specialises in growing cereals (except rice), legumes, and oilseeds; Complex Supply Don LLC (TIN: 6166085722, Rostov-on-Don), which specialises in the production of vehicle bodies and non-specialised trade.