Russia transships oil in high seas near Greece - Defence Intelligence of Ukraine
Ukrainian intelligence officers have established that since July 2024, the "Aframax" tanker IMO 9247443 has been illegally transferring oil between tankers in the open sea off the coast of Greece and Cyprus.
This was reported by the press service of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Censor.NET informs.
This poses an environmental threat, allowing the aggressor to conceal the origin of oil, evade international control and ensure its supply to third countries bypassing sanctions.
The War&Sanctions platform has published data on IMO vessel 9247443, which Russia uses as a floating transshipment hub for the supply of sanctioned oil.
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine also publishes data on 159 oil tankers, most of which are part of the so-called "shadow fleet" of the Russian Federation, as well as information on 55 captains of this fleet.
The "shadow fleet" actively uses high-risk practices in maritime logistics, including disabling automatic identification systems, spoofing navigation data, transshipment of oil at night without lighting, use of flags of convenient jurisdictions, and registration of shell companies.
These actions pose serious threats to environmental safety, especially given the technical condition of the old "shadow fleet" vessels and the lack of insurance. They can lead to large-scale accidents and environmental disasters off the coasts of the European Union," the statement said.
Russia uses the "shadow fleet as an element of hybrid warfare. There have been cases of such vessels participating in reconnaissance and sabotage operations, particularly in the Baltic Sea, where they monitor naval infrastructure, submarine cables and other critical facilities.
