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In recent months, at least 11 tankers of the Volgoneft class have been operating at sea in violation of restrictions indicated on their classification certificates, a report by the independent investigative outlet Important Stories reveals. All of these tankers are supplying vessels that are part of Russia's so-called “shadow fleet” — a collection of poorly maintained ships that help Moscow trade oil at prices above the Western-imposed $60 cap.
Similar ships were implicated in an environmental disaster in the Black Sea on Dec. 15, 2024, when the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 sank in the Kerch Strait, releasing thousands of tons of fuel oil into the water, contaminating the surrounding shorelines and causing significant losses in marine wildlife. A top scientist at Russia’s Academy of Sciences has called the oil spill “the most serious environmental disaster in Russia since the beginning of the 21st century.”
Documents reviewed by Important Stories reveal that these tankers completed over 200 voyages between the Southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and the Port Kavkaz transshipment zone in the Black Sea, delivering approximately 800,000 tons of oil products to storage tankers.
According to the publication, another Volgoneft-class vessel — the Volgoneft-141 — transferred more than 4,000 tons of fuel oil to a storage tanker a mere day after the Kerch Strait disaster. The ship’s crew departed Rostov-on-Don on Dec. 13, despite regulations banning these types of vessels from open-sea operations after November due to the heightened risk of winter storms. These tankers are considered structurally unfit to withstand severe weather conditions during this period.
Approximately 80% of the cargo transported by Volgoneft tankers was received by foreign-flagged vessels. The Panamanian-flagged tanker FIRN was the largest recipient of fuel oil from the ships in question. Notably, Volgoneft-212, which sank in December, was also carrying cargo intended for FIRN.
At least seven other tankers followed the same route as the ill-fated Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239. Since 2008, Volgoneft vessels have officially been banned from transporting heavy oil and oil products by sea, as was noted 11 years ago by Gennady Egorov, head of Russia’s Marine Engineering Bureau. According to his calculations, by 2012, the accident rate for Volgoneft tankers had nearly doubled, reaching four to five disasters per 1,000 vessels. Egorov concluded that safely transporting oil products on river-sea tankers is only feasible if new vessels are constructed.
All 11 foreign-flagged vessels receiving cargo from the Volgoneft tankers are part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.” At least three of them are under U.S. and EU sanctions.
The Volgoneft class of vessels refers to a series of Soviet-era oil tankers originally designed for transporting oil and oil products on inland waterways and in coastal areas, such as rivers, reservoirs, and nearshore waters. These vessels were built between the 1960s and 1980s and were not intended for open-sea operations — particularly in rough weather conditions. Despite their age and limitations, many Volgoneft tankers are still in use today, often operating under outdated safety and technical standards.