Archive · 21 Jan 2026
Shadow Fleet Booms Amid Sanctions
A shadow fleet of oil tankers is growing to help countries like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela sell oil despite Western sanctions.
These tankers use tricks like changing their names and turning off their GPS to avoid being caught.
The fleet has grown a lot since 2022 and now moves a big part of the world's oil.
Countries like India and China are big buyers of this oil.
The fleet is likely to keep growing because sanctions are not going away soon.
The shadow fleet of oil tankers has grown to 3,313 vessels by the end of 2025, up from 97 in 2022.
The fleet moves about $100 billion of crude oil annually, accounting for 6-7% of global oil flows.
Russia is the major user of the shadow fleet, accounting for 63 million barrels of crude shipped in November 2025.
India and China are the major importers of crude oil transported by the shadow fleet.
The shadow fleet uses tactics like changing ship names, flags, and turning off transponders to evade detection.
- Who
- Countries like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, and importers like India and China
- What
- A shadow fleet of oil tankers is growing to evade sanctions
- When
- The fleet has expanded significantly since 2022, with 3,313 vessels by the end of 2025
- Where
- Global, with key operations in regions like the Eastern Mediterranean, Gulf of Oman, and Black Sea
- Why
- To evade Western sanctions on oil transport by countries like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela
- Shadow Fleet Size
- 3,313 vessels (2025)
- Global Oil Flows
- 6-7% (2025)
- Key Exporters
- Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, US
- Key Importers
- India, China
- Russia's Share
- 63 million barrels (Nov 2025)
- India's Russian Crude Imports
- 32% (Dec 2025)
- Shadow Fleet Growth
- 3,315% (2022-2025)
- Global Tanker Capacity
- 18.5% (2025)
