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Ex-Russian Oil Tanker Busted in Georgia While Dodging Sanctions and Ukrainian Sea Drones
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Georgia’s Border Police announced that its coast guard detained the oil tanker Caminero on January 10 for violating maritime navigation rules within the country’s territorial waters. The vessel, which currently sails under the flag of Panama, was previously registered in Russia.
The incident was reported by Georgia’s Border Police and covered by the local outlet Newsgeorgia, which noted that the tanker was detained under Article 114(1) of Georgia’s Code of Administrative Offenses.
The captain of the vessel—a Turkish national—was fined 15,000 Georgian lari (approximately $5,600 or 240,000 Ukrainian hryvnia). Following payment, the vessel was cleared to continue its journey.
According to Newsgeorgia, Caminero was previously registered in Russia and changed its flag in late 2022. The switch coincided with the introduction of Western sanctions on Russian oil exports, including a price cap and a maritime embargo, prompting many Russian-affiliated tankers to re-register under different national flags to avoid enforcement actions.
Data from maritime tracking platform MarineTraffic shows the Caminero had departed the Georgian port of Kulevi and was en route to Constanța, Romania, at the time of the incident. As of January 11, the ship was located in the Black Sea.
The circumstances of the Caminero’s navigation violation have not been disclosed in detail. However tankers previously registered in Russia are increasingly operating along coastal routes near Turkey and Georgia.
Earlier, on December 18, a Russian oil tanker was set ablaze in the port of Rostov-on-Don following a major drone strike. According to regional officials, the attack killed two crew members and injured three others. Authorities confirmed the vessel was docked near a residential area and managed to prevent an oil spill.
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