At least 11 tankers classified by Ukraine’s military intelligence agency as being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” have passed through the English Channel since June 14, when the UK seized first-ever suspected “shadow fleet” ship and directed it to anchorage off the coast of Weymouth.
Three more tankers are now heading toward the Channel. Most “shadow fleet” tankers, however, are still choosing to avoid the route entirely, according to data from the ship tracking platform Starboard Maritime Intelligence analyzed by The Insider.
Context
Overnight into June 14, Royal Marines and officers from the National Crime Agency, or NCA, boarded and detained the tanker Smyrtos (IMO 9389100) in the English Channel. The tanker is under sanctions imposed by the UK, the EU, the United States, and several other countries. It was the first such operation by British authorities against a vessel from Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
Immediately after the seizure of the vessel, several tankers changed course and began going north around the UK and Ireland when sailing between the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, avoiding the English Channel. Subsequent data, however, shows that “shadow fleet” operators have not stopped using the channel entirely.
Which ships passed through the English Channel or are heading there
The vessels that have already passed through include tankers sanctioned by several Western countries, along with others that have not yet been added to sanctions lists despite their involvement in the shipment of Russian oil and petroleum products.
The following vessels continue operating without sanctions:
- CHEM NICHOLAS (IMO 9374416)
- WAN HE (IMO 9248461)
- ANNA MARIA P (IMO 9288368)
According to Ukrainian intelligence, all three vessels have taken part in the export of Russian oil or petroleum products after the G7 and EU oil embargo and price cap policy were introduced.
Several other vessels are under Ukrainian sanctions only, including:
- CHRYSTAL SKY (IMO 9334569)
- PASIPHAE (IMO 9289518)
- ETERNAL (IMO 9273351)
At the same time, tankers under sanctions imposed by the UK, the EU, the United States, and other Western countries continue to pass through the English Channel, including:
- FORWARDER (IMO 9419448)
- NASLEDIE (IMO 9293002)
- DINASTY (IMO 9311622)
- ALMOND (IMO 9385142)
- PROGRESS (IMO 9306627)
Three more vessels are now heading toward the English Channel. The first two are under Ukrainian sanctions, while the third is under sanctions imposed by the UK, the EU, the United States, Switzerland, Canada, and Ukraine:
- ARINA (IMO 9248813)
- ZHUO YUAN (IMO 9408683)
- BOND (IMO 9412335)
According to the British military, some Russian “shadow fleet” tankers passing through the English Channel are being escorted by the Russian Black Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Grigorovich. The Royal Navy has been tracking the frigate almost continuously since late April. Several media outlets have reported that the vessel has periodically experienced fuel problems and has effectively been drifting in the English Channel. To remain near British shores for extended periods, Admiral Grigorovich refuels at sea using the repair ship PM-82, according to reports from signals intelligence (SIGINT) specialists.
Most ships bypass the English Channel
At the same time, some operators chose to avoid the English Channel after the detention of the Smyrtos. The Insider can report that since June 14, at least 29 Russian “shadow fleet” tankers have bypassed the UK and Ireland while sailing from the Atlantic Ocean back to Russian Baltic Sea ports, choosing a much longer route in order to avoid the Channel.
Three additional tankers that bypassed the UK from the west through the Atlantic were not included in the count because they did not turn into the Baltic Sea but instead sailed to Murmansk, a route for which passage through the English Channel is not essential.
