Russian Flagged Oil Tankers Piling Up Amid US 'Blockade'
A sudden surge in ship registrations under the Russian flag has been spotted by shipping intelligence publication Lloyd's List, as oil tankers accused of breaching sanctions move to protect themselves from potential American seizure.
According to the data, at least 17 suspicious vessels joined Russia's registry over the past month alone, a sharp increase on previous months when only 18 were thought to have made similar moves in 2024.
This trend is linked to Donald Trump's recent announcement of a US "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers operating in and out of Venezuela. Analysts believe that the increased attention from Washington has prompted some vessels to switch flags under Russia, hoping to avoid American intervention.
In December, two ships caught by US special forces were found to be flying false names and Cameroonian flags. Tracking data showed that one ship had been sailing towards Russia before being boarded.
The tactic was famously employed by a tanker called Bella 1, which switched its flag from Guyanese to Russian as it attempted to evade capture.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Russia's shadow fleet transports an estimated 3.7m barrels of oil per day, generating around $87bn in annual revenue.
The UK has come under criticism for its involvement in the seizure of a tanker called Marinera, which is accused of supplying sanctioned oil. The ship was boarded by US forces with the backing of British surveillance support.
Scottish Secretary of State Douglas Alexander defended the operation, saying that it aims to prevent Russia from funding terrorism and conflict.
A sudden surge in ship registrations under the Russian flag has been spotted by shipping intelligence publication Lloyd's List, as oil tankers accused of breaching sanctions move to protect themselves from potential American seizure.
According to the data, at least 17 suspicious vessels joined Russia's registry over the past month alone, a sharp increase on previous months when only 18 were thought to have made similar moves in 2024.
This trend is linked to Donald Trump's recent announcement of a US "blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers operating in and out of Venezuela. Analysts believe that the increased attention from Washington has prompted some vessels to switch flags under Russia, hoping to avoid American intervention.
In December, two ships caught by US special forces were found to be flying false names and Cameroonian flags. Tracking data showed that one ship had been sailing towards Russia before being boarded.
The tactic was famously employed by a tanker called Bella 1, which switched its flag from Guyanese to Russian as it attempted to evade capture.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Russia's shadow fleet transports an estimated 3.7m barrels of oil per day, generating around $87bn in annual revenue.
The UK has come under criticism for its involvement in the seizure of a tanker called Marinera, which is accused of supplying sanctioned oil. The ship was boarded by US forces with the backing of British surveillance support.
Scottish Secretary of State Douglas Alexander defended the operation, saying that it aims to prevent Russia from funding terrorism and conflict.
. whenever one ship switches flags, another one pops up with a new flag 
. but seriously though, it's getting out of hand. all these ships flying under different flags just to avoid being caught is kinda dodgy 
. and what's the point of switching flags if you're still going to be smuggling oil? 
meanwhile, venezuela's stuck in the middle & they dont know what hit 'em...anyway, think this "blockade" is gonna be a big deal for the world economy 
. I'm not surprised, to be honest. The more Trump makes a big show out of something, the more people try to hide under the radar 
. It's like when we do our own 'spring clean' and get rid of all the clutter in our lives, these ships are just trying to shed their old flags and start fresh 
.
. And I'm not even going to go into the politics of it all 
... let's just say that if we want peace in the world, we need to find more diplomatic ways to resolve our differences 
.
. We're all connected, after all 
.
That's a huge increase from previous months when only 18 were on the move... seems like folks are switching flags to Russia ASAP. 
Backed by British surveillance support, but some are questioning their role in this whole thing... what are your thoughts? 
That's a lot of influence and revenue at play here...
, this is wild! Like, who knew sanctions could be so sneaky? 
These oil tankers are basically playing a game of ship-tag where they switch flags to avoid getting caught 
. I'm like "what's the point?" 
. And it's not just Russia, UK is involved too 
.
and btw, i feel bad 4 the uk got involved in that tanker thingy but scottish sec state douglas alexander says it's all good bc they're just tryna prevent russia from fundin terrorism & conflict 
guess ur gonna have to watch this one unfold 