Russia is expanding its shadow fleet to export gas subject to sanctions — Bloomberg
The Russian Federation is actively expanding its "shadow fleet" to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is subject to strict U.S. sanctions.
This was reported by Bloomberg, citing its own shipping monitoring data.
To expand its export capacity, the aggressor country has enlisted four tankers that previously belonged to Oman.
Recently, the tanker “Kosmos” docked near Murmansk in western Russia and likely loaded LNG. Three other former Omani vessels—“Mercury,” “Orion,” and “Luch”—are also already transporting the raw material.
The appearance of new vessels at the Kremlin’s disposal indicates attempts to build a reliable logistics system that circumvents international restrictions.
The legal and technical preparation of the vessels took place on a tight schedule early this year. It is known that the vessel “Kosmos” was reflagged to Russia and renamed in early 2026.
The “Merkury,” which was loaded with Russian LNG in May, is likely heading to Asia. The other two special-purpose vessels, namely the “Orion” and the “Luch,” are currently heading to a floating storage facility with raw materials.
The scale of the use of illegal maritime transport for trading Russian energy resources continues to grow rapidly.
According to Bloomberg, Russia is currently using at least 20 tankers to transport sanctioned LNG. It is noted that additional tankers provided by Oman could enable Russia to expand its exports.
Russia’s shadow fleet is passing unhindered through British waters despite sanctions
The European Union is working on a 21st package of sanctions against Russia, which could be adopted in late June or early July. According to Politico, key restrictions are planned to target Russia’s shadow fleet and schemes to circumvent existing sanctions.
Prior to this, Zelenskyy thanked Britain for sanctions against drone manufacturers and recruiters.
Earlier, it was reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had signed a new package of sanctions. Among other things, the restrictions apply to entities from Belarus.
Ukraine will increase pressure on Russia and its partners over the illegal export of grain from temporarily occupied territories and is preparing new sanctions.
