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Russia Builds Shadow Fleet of Aging LNG Tankers to Evade Upcoming EU Sanctions
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Russia has begun assembling a reserve “shadow fleet” of tankers for the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine (SZRU).
The agency said the primary objective of the Kremlin is to prepare in advance for large-scale European Union sanctions set to take effect on January 1, 2027.
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The new restrictions are expected to fully block Russian vessels from accessing European terminals, prompting Moscow to seek alternative routes in order to maintain export volumes and sustain state budget revenues.
According to SZRU, Russia is using anonymous structures and complex ownership schemes to purchase aging tankers on the global market. Over the past five months alone, six old LNG carriers have reportedly entered the Russian fleet. In addition, between February 2024 and May 2025, seven similar vessels were acquired through front companies.
In the first quarter of 2026, Russia reportedly purchased four LNG carriers—ORION, KOSMOS, MERKURYY, and LUCH—from a Middle Eastern owner. Each vessel is over 19 years old, and all have already been deployed in the transportation of Russian liquefied natural gas.
The total size of Russia’s LNG “shadow fleet” has now increased to approximately 23 vessels, the intelligence service said.
“The use of worn-out, aging vessels without proper international insurance or technical inspections allows Russia to partially circumvent restrictions. However, experts note that such practices significantly increase environmental risks during gas transportation and raise the aggressor’s logistical costs,” SZRU added.
The development comes amid increasing scrutiny and enforcement actions against Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, with vessels linked to it facing growing detentions at sea.
For example, the French Navy has detained the tanker Deliver near the coast of Sicily after it departed Russia’s Primorsk port under the flag of Cameroon, French President Emmanuel Macron said on June 25.
Macron stated that the vessel is part of Russia’s shadow fleet and was in violation of sanctions aimed at limiting Moscow’s oil revenues.
“We will not allow the ‘shadow fleet’ to circumvent sanctions and finance the Russian war machine,” he said.
According to MarineTraffic data, the tanker was en route from the Russian port of Primorsk to Singapore under the Cameroonian flag. The vessel is also listed under Ukraine’s sanctions regime.
In addition, the Swedish Coast Guard has taken control of a suspected stateless vessel in Sweden’s sector of the Baltic Sea, in what is the second such incident reported in under a week.
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