Sanctioned Russian “shadow fleet” tanker Progress loses control, goes adrift in Mediterranean

The oil tanker Progress (IMO: 9306627), which is under sanctions for transporting Russian crude, has lost control off the coast of Algeria and is drifting in the Mediterranean Sea, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.

The LR2-class tanker had been sailing east along the northern coast of Africa toward the Suez Canal carrying about 730,000 barrels of Russian Urals crude. On Wednesday afternoon, after passing Algeria, the tanker abruptly turned north, leaving established shipping lanes. Its navigational status changed to “Not under command” early Thursday, while its speed dropped to about one knot. By midday Friday, Progress was still drifting east at roughly one knot.

According to the international shipping database Equasis, the tanker is managed by Legacy Marine LLC, a company based in St. Petersburg. Phone calls and an email to the company went unanswered. The tanker is under EU and UK sanctions for its role in trading Russian oil. The vessel is 19 years old and has changed its name twice since being blacklisted in 2025. It recently switched to the Russian flag and was entered into the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping in November.

As noted by Bloomberg, the course change, departure from shipping lanes, shift in navigational status, and drop in speed point to a mechanical problem. The “Not under command” status means a vessel is unable to maneuver or give way to other ships because of exceptional circumstances, typically including steering or engine failure, power loss or unexpected damage. A similar event involving the shadow fleet tanker Eventin, which went adrift off the German coast, occurred in January 2025.

On Thursday, the French Navy intercepted and diverted the tanker Grinch, which was carrying Russian oil and traveling along a similar route.