Marine vessels

Since August 2023, the tanker has been involved in the export of russian oil from russian ports in the Baltic Sea, mainly to India. At the same time, the last change of the ship's owner and managers took place in July 2023, which indicates that the tanker was purchased, in particular for the purpose of transporting russian oil. Oil exports from russia are the most important source of income for the regime of the aggressor country to finance the war against Ukraine. From February 2022 to November 22, 2024, russia earned almost 546 billion euros in revenues from oil exports (69% of all revenues from fossil fuel exports). In 2023, about a third of all tax revenues in russia came from the sale of oil and gas. The tax on oil production collected by the russian federation in 2023 amounted to 8.9 trillion rubles, or 31% of total federal revenues. According to the CREA data for October 2024, russia's revenues from crude oil exported by sea amounted to 210 million euros per day, 83% of the total volume of russian marine crude oil was transported by “shadow” tankers, while tankers owned or insured in countries that impose price restrictions accounted for 17% of the total value of russian oil exported in October. Under the sanctions, russia has begun to build up its own shadow fleet of outdated tankers, which has no 'ties' with the G7 and the EU and can transport oil in violation of price caps. russia disguises its shadow activities at sea under the 'convenient' flags of third countries, operates at sea without proper insurance from the international club of insurers, uses complex schemes to conceal the owners of the shadow fleet, uses various deceptive tactics to conceal the origin of its cargo, creates threats to environmental safety with large-scale economic costs for coastal countries due to the growing threat of oil spills, does not use pilots to navigate difficult areas, etc. russia's 'shadow fleet' continues to provide multibillion-dollar revenues for the kremlin bypassing sanctions, disguising its activities under the flags of third countries, using complex schemes to conceal owners, and poses significant environmental threats with significant economic costs to coastal countries and/or the international community due to the outdated and inadequate insurance of shadow fleet tankers. On November 25, 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on a tanker in connection with the transportation of russian oil/oil products from the russian federation to a third country as part of the restrictions on the russian shadow fleet.

During the period of the G7 and EU oil embargo and the price-cap policy on russian oil, the tanker was involved in the export of russian oil to third countries from russian ports. The vessel is certified by the Indian Register of Shipping (IACS). The vessel is affiliated with Gatik Ship Management (India), which in 2022-2023 was among the top players in the shadow tanker fleet involved in the export of russian oil, as well as with the Gatik-related company Gaurik Ship Management LLP. Oil exports from russia are the most important source of income for the regime of the aggressor country to finance the war against Ukraine. From February 2022 to November 22, 2024, russia earned almost 546 billion euros in revenues from oil exports (69% of all revenues from fossil fuel exports). In 2023, about a third of all tax revenues in russia came from the sale of oil and gas. The tax on oil production collected by the russian federation in 2023 amounted to 8.9 trillion rubles, or 31% of total federal revenues. According to the CREA data for October 2024, russia's revenues from crude oil exported by sea amounted to 210 million euros per day, 83% of the total volume of russian marine crude oil was transported by “shadow” tankers, while tankers owned or insured in countries that impose price restrictions accounted for 17% of the total value of russian oil exported in October. Under the sanctions, russia has begun to build up its own shadow fleet of outdated tankers, which has no 'ties' with the G7 and the EU and can transport oil in violation of price caps. russia disguises its shadow activities at sea under the 'convenient' flags of third countries, operates at sea without proper insurance from the international club of insurers, uses complex schemes to conceal the owners of the shadow fleet, uses various deceptive tactics to conceal the origin of its cargo, creates threats to environmental safety with large-scale economic costs for coastal countries due to the growing threat of oil spills, does not use pilots to navigate difficult areas, etc. russia's 'shadow fleet' continues to provide multibillion-dollar revenues for the kremlin bypassing sanctions, disguising its activities under the flags of third countries, using complex schemes to conceal owners, and poses significant environmental threats with significant economic costs to coastal countries and/or the international community due to the outdated and inadequate insurance of shadow fleet tankers. On November 25, 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on a tanker in connection with the transportation of russian oil/oil products from the russian federation to a third country as part of the restrictions on the russian shadow fleet.

During the period of the G7 and EU oil embargo and the price-cap policy on russian oil, the tanker is involved in the export of russian oil from russian ports to third countries. The vessel is certified by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (IACS). The international non-governmental organization Greenpeace refers to the tanker as a shadowy fleet of tankers that transport russian oil around the world and threaten the environment. Oil exports from russia are the most important source of income for the regime of the aggressor country to finance the war against Ukraine. From February 2022 to November 22, 2024, russia earned almost 546 billion euros in revenues from oil exports (69% of all revenues from fossil fuel exports). In 2023, about a third of all tax revenues in russia came from the sale of oil and gas. The tax on oil production collected by the russian federation in 2023 amounted to 8.9 trillion rubles, or 31% of total federal revenues. According to the CREA data for October 2024, russia's revenues from crude oil exported by sea amounted to 210 million euros per day, 83% of the total volume of russian marine crude oil was transported by “shadow” tankers, while tankers owned or insured in countries that impose price restrictions accounted for 17% of the total value of russian oil exported in October. Under the sanctions, russia has begun to build up its own shadow fleet of outdated tankers, which has no 'ties' with the G7 and the EU and can transport oil in violation of price caps. russia disguises its shadow activities at sea under the 'convenient' flags of third countries, operates at sea without proper insurance from the international club of insurers, uses complex schemes to conceal the owners of the shadow fleet, uses various deceptive tactics to conceal the origin of its cargo, creates threats to environmental safety with large-scale economic costs for coastal countries due to the growing threat of oil spills, does not use pilots to navigate difficult areas, etc. russia's 'shadow fleet' continues to provide multibillion-dollar revenues for the kremlin bypassing sanctions, disguising its activities under the flags of third countries, using complex schemes to conceal owners, and poses significant environmental threats with significant economic costs to coastal countries and/or the international community due to the outdated and inadequate insurance of shadow fleet tankers. On November 25, 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on a tanker in connection with the transportation of russian oil/oil products from the russian federation to a third country as part of the restrictions on the russian shadow fleet.

During the period of the G7 and EU oil embargo on russian oil, the tanker is involved in the export of russian oil/oil products from the russian port of Primorsk in the Baltic Sea to third countries. The vessel is certified by Bureau Veritas (IACS). The tanker is 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 under Western sanctions, and the company Caishan Ship Management, which is affiliated with Gatik, which in 2023, together with Gaurik Ship Management LLP, Galena Ship Management, Plutos Ship Management, Geras Ship Management, Girik Ship Management, Orion Ship Management LLP, Nautilus Shipping (India), Ark Seakonnect Shipmanagment LLC, Zidan Ship Management, was involved in a scheme to 'juggle' vessels operated by Gatik Ship Management to avoid sanctions. Gatik Ship Management and Caishan Ship Management were the previous managers of the tanker. Tankers operated/managed by India's Gatik Ship Management continue to be used by related companies and call at russian ports. As sanctions are being imposed, russia uses a scheme of "juggling" ships between related companies to conceal oil exports outside the price cap and other restrictions, as well as to hide the real owners of ships, and to ensure unimpeded transportation of fossil fuels by a 'shadow' fleet of obsolete oil tankers, creates new companies for these purposes (in the UAE, Hong Kong, India, Turkey, Mauritius, Seychelles, and other jurisdictions) with non-transparent organizational and ownership structures. In order to implement this scheme, technical/commercial management and ship owners are constantly changing, and vessels are renamed with a change of flag, MMSI, call-sign, including for sanctioned vessels. Shadow fleet vessels operate under “convenient flags”, which allows them to conceal their true origin and avoid control by international organizations and insurance companies. Almost all vessels that are involved in the transportation of russian oil by the shadow fleet since 2022 have been certified by the Indian regulator Indian Register of Shipping (IACS). The certification of shadow fleet vessels allows the shipowner/operator to insure the vessels, which, in turn, allows the vessels to enter ports and pass through various specific sea routes (straits, canals, etc.). The 'shadow' fleet, transporting huge volumes of crude oil through heavily trafficked routes through narrow straits close to the coastline, without proper P&I insurance, with automatic identification systems disabled, threatens an environmental disaster with significant economic costs to be borne by the affected coastal countries and/or the international community. The recent incidents off Malaysia only underscore the need for swift action to curb the potentially devastating impact of the growing 'shadow fleet'. 'Shadow' tankers have already been involved in 50 incidents from the Danish Straits all the way to Malaysia since russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to CREA, from January to August 2024, the number of shadow tankers crossing the Danish Straits in Europe increased by 277% compared to the same period in 2022, with 64% of the 46 million tons of russian marine oil transported through the Danish Straits being transported by shadow tankers. In the same period, the number of shadow tankers in the Straits of Dover and Gibraltar increased by 355% compared to 2022, transporting 67% of the 37 million tons of oil through the straits. The Suez Canal experienced a staggering 649% increase in shadow tanker traffic, with 69% of the 52 million tons of russian crude oil passing through it being transported by these vessels. Oil exports from russia are the most important source of income for the regime of the aggressor country to finance the war against Ukraine. From February 2022 to November 22, 2024, russia earned almost 546 billion euros in revenues from oil exports (69% of all revenues from fossil fuel exports). In 2023, about a third of all tax revenues in russia came from the sale of oil and gas. The tax on oil production collected by the russian federation in 2023 amounted to 8.9 trillion rubles, or 31% of total federal revenues. According to the CREA data for October 2024, russia's revenues from crude oil exported by sea amounted to 210 million euros per day, 83% of the total volume of russian marine crude oil was transported by “shadow” tankers, while tankers owned or insured in countries that impose price restrictions accounted for 17% of the total value of russian oil exported in October. Under the sanctions, russia has begun to build up its own shadow fleet of outdated tankers, which has no 'ties' with the G7 and the EU and can transport oil in violation of price caps. russia disguises its shadow activities at sea under the 'convenient' flags of third countries, operates at sea without proper insurance from the international club of insurers, uses complex schemes to conceal the owners of the shadow fleet, uses various deceptive tactics to conceal the origin of its cargo, creates threats to environmental safety with large-scale economic costs for coastal countries due to the growing threat of oil spills, does not use pilots to navigate difficult areas, etc. russia's 'shadow fleet' continues to provide multibillion-dollar revenues for the kremlin bypassing sanctions, disguising its activities under the flags of third countries, using complex schemes to conceal owners, and poses significant environmental threats with significant economic costs to coastal countries and/or the international community due to the outdated and inadequate insurance of shadow fleet tankers. On November 25, 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on a tanker in connection with the transportation of russian oil/oil products from the russian federation to a third country as part of the restrictions on the russian shadow fleet.

The vessel was involved in the transportation of fossil fuels from the Arctic LNG-2 facility in circumvention of sanctions, using a scheme of false AIS signalling in violation of international maritime law to conceal the vessel's true location. In early August 2024, satellite imagery revealed that the vessel was located at the sanctioned Arctic LNG-2 project, with its AIS signal still north of Norway. The vessel was escorted by an icebreaker as it headed towards the Gulf of Ob and the gas project. On or about 06 August 2024, the vessel returned to its doctored position to integrate its transponder signal. Arctic LNG-2 is the second large-capacity project after Yamal LNG of the sanctioned Novatek (TIN 6316031581) for natural gas extraction and LNG production on the Gydan Peninsula. In November 2023 and February 2024, USA and United Kingdom respectively imposed sanctions on the russian Arctic LNG-2 project, which is of strategic importance for the government of the russian federation. On 23 August 2024, USA imposed sanctions on seven LNG tankers of the shadow russian tanker fleet, as part of the restrictions on entities supporting the development of the Arctic LNG-2 and other future energy projects. On 26 September 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on a vessel involved in the russian LNG sector.

It is involved in the transportation of fossil fuels from the Arctic LNG-2 facility in violation of international maritime law, using so-called spoofing to conceal the vessel's true location. On 08 August 2024, the vessel began broadcasting a falsified AIS signal in the Barents Sea, which allowed it to leave the area undetected. On 10 August 2024, the vessel was detected by satellite imagery at the Arctic LNG-2 project, while its AIS signal remained off the coast of Norway. "Arctic LNG-2 is the second large-capacity LNG project, after Yamal LNG, of the sanctioned Novatek (TIN 6316031581) for natural gas production and LNG production on the Gydan Peninsula. In November 2023 and February 2024, USA and United Kingdom respectively imposed sanctions on the russian Arctic LNG-2 project, which is of strategic importance for the government of the russian federation. On 23 August 2024, USA imposed sanctions on seven LNG tankers of the shadow russian tanker fleet, as part of the restrictions on entities supporting the development of the Arctic LNG-2 and other future energy projects. On 26 September 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on a vessel involved in the russian LNG sector.

It is affiliated with the russian LNG tanker fleet, which is involved in expanding russia's export capabilities in terms of LNG trade, including from the sanctioned large-capacity Arctic LNG-2 project of sanctioned PJSC Novatek. The vessel is involved in the transshipment of LNG of russian origin (from the Yamal LNG project of PJSC Novatek) through European ports. Arctic LNG-2 is the second large-capacity project after Yamal LNG of PJSC Novatek (TIN: 6316031581) for natural gas production and LNG production on the Gydansky Peninsula. In November 2023 and February 2024, USA and United Kingdom respectively imposed sanctions on the russian Arctic LNG-2 project, which is of strategic importance for the government of the russian federation. On 23 August 2024, USA imposed sanctions on an LNG tanker. On 26 September 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on a vessel involved in the russian LNG sector.

It is involved in the transportation of fossil fuels from the Arctic LNG-2 facility in violation of international maritime law, using so-called spoofing to conceal the vessel's true location. On 25 August 2024, the vessel was moored near Line 1 of the Arctic LNG-2 facility, and at 22:27 the tanker stopped transmitting the falsified AIS signal. Arctic LNG-2 is the second large-capacity LNG project after Yamal LNG of the sanctioned Novatek (TIN: 6316031581) for natural gas production and liquefied natural gas production on the Gydansky Peninsula. In November 2023 and February 2024, USA and United Kingdom respectively imposed sanctions on the russian Arctic LNG-2 project, which is of strategic importance for the russian government. On 23 August 2024, USA imposed sanctions on seven LNG tankers of the shadow russian tanker fleet, as part of the restrictions on entities supporting the development of the Arctic LNG-2 and other future energy projects.

It is involved in the russian LNG tanker fleet, expanding russia's export capabilities in the LNG trade, and transshipment of LNG of russian origin (from the Yamal LNG project of the sanctioned PJSC Novatek) through European ports. On 23 August 2024, USA imposed sanctions on an LNG tanker.

It is involved in the russian LNG tanker fleet, expanding russia's export capabilities in the LNG trade, and transshipment of LNG of russian origin (from the Yamal LNG project of the sanctioned PJSC Novatek) through European ports. On 23 August 2024, USA imposed sanctions on an LNG tanker.

It is involved in the russian LNG tanker fleet, expanding russia's export capabilities in the LNG trade, and transshipment of LNG of russian origin (from the Yamal LNG project of the sanctioned PJSC Novatek) through European ports. On 23 August 2024, USA imposed sanctions on an LNG tanker.

The vessel was involved in the offloading of fossil fuels produced at the sanctioned russian Arctic LNG-2 facility on 25 August 2024 by STS north of the Suez Canal, with AIS disabled, in violation of international maritime law, from the sanctioned LNG tanker ‘Pioneer’. ‘Arctic LNG-2' is the second large-capacity project of the sanctioned Novatek PJSC for natural gas extraction and LNG production on the Gydan Peninsula after Yamal LNG. In November 2023 and February 2024, USA and United Kingdom respectively imposed sanctions on the russian Arctic LNG-2 project, which is of strategic importance for the government of the russian federation. On 23 August 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the LNG tanker ‘Pioneer’ as part of the restrictions on entities supporting the development of the russian ‘Arctic LNG-2’ and other future energy projects. On 05 September 2024, USA imposed sanctions on the LNG tanker ‘New Energy’ as part of the expansion of restrictive measures against the russian energy sector in connection with attempts to export LNG from the sanctioned ‘Arctic LNG-2’. On 26 September 2024, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on a vessel involved in the russian LNG sector.