Russia has begun flying its own flag on dozens of “shadow fleet” oil tankers from foreign jurisdictions in an effort to protect its oil export revenues amid tightening sanctions enforcement, reported The Bell, citing expert interviews and maritime data.

As covered by bne IntelliNews, the pressure on the "shadow fleet" carrying Russian oil reached new heights in the beginning of 2026, after the United States seized an oil tanker, now known as the Marinera and registered under the Russian flag, after a week-long pursuit.

France’s navy also intercepted and redirected a Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time in January.

Amid these tensions, flying the Russian flag on the tankers raises the political and legal costs of intervention for Western states, as action against a Russian-flagged vessel carries greater escalation risks, the analysts cited by The Bell believe.

One cited example occurred in May 2025, when Estonia attempted to inspect a tanker sailing under a false flag toward Russia, only for a Russian fighter jet to enter Estonian airspace, allowing the tanker to reach Russian territorial waters without inspection. 

At the same time, analysts warned that reflagging transfers responsibility for safety, insurance and environmental risks to Russia, while also reducing the anonymity of the fleet and making future sanctions easier to enforce.

In January, the United States seized the Marinera in the Atlantic, despite the crew tearing down a Guyanese flag and hastily painting a Russian tricolour on the hull. The vessel was detained even after Russia reportedly dispatched naval ships and a submarine. 

Since December, the US has seized at least seven tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, while France detained the tanker Grinch in the Mediterranean, with both cases reportedly involving false or improper registration rather than breaches of the oil price cap.

As closely followed by bne IntelliNews, the so-called shadow fleet, which analysts estimate at 1,200-1,600 tankers or roughly one fifth of the global fleet, has become the main tool for circumventing oil sanctions, largely in Russia’s interests. 

According to research by the Brookings Institution cited by The Bell, the average age of these vessels is 20-25 years compared to a global average of 13. Most were sold to Russia by Western companies, with Greece the largest supplier. 

Under pressure from the EU and the UK, jurisdictions such as Gambia, Sierra Leone and the Comoros have reportedly begun removing Russian-linked ships from their registries, forcing vessels to move repeatedly between flags until options were exhausted, including the use of fictitious registries such as Guyana, whose maritime register has been closed to foreign vessels since 2021.