Dozens of oil tankers, which the UK has sanctioned in response to Russiaʼs war in Ukraine, have passed through the English Channel this month, with the UKʼs Ministry of Defence threatening "strong action" against the tankers.
The BBC writes about this.
Journalists have learned that the British government received legal clarification earlier this month that sanctioned tankers could be detained. Despite this, 42 such vessels have since passed through the English Channel, which BBC Verify tracked.
Among them was the Sofos, a tanker that the UK Foreign Office added to the sanctions list in May 2025. The vessel crossed the English Channel after a voyage from Venezuela and is currently near St. Petersburg, Russia.
Ship tracking data shows that the Sofos loaded oil in Russia in mid-November, then headed to Turkey and then to Venezuela, where it turned off its transponder. Satellite images later captured it at the Jose oil terminal in Venezuela on December 22 and 23. On December 26, the shipʼs signal reappeared outside the countryʼs territorial waters.
The tanker Nasledie, which is more than 20 years old, also entered the English Channel in January. The vessel has been under UK sanctions since May 2025 and has been part of the shadow fleet since 2023.
During January, other tankers also passed through the English Channel, which are under sanctions by the US and EU, but not by the UK.
BBC Verify has identified one vessel that has gone to extreme lengths to avoid detection – what maritime experts call the “darkest of the shadow fleet”. It is the Arcusat tanker, previously under US sanctions under the name Tia. The vessel passed through the English Channel on 8 January but was stopped by German federal police and turned back before entering German waters.
In January, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government was prepared to “tighten the noose” on Russia and take new “decisive action” against the shadowy fleet, after officials were told the military could board and detain tankers under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018.
Despite Britain helping US forces seize a tanker off Iceland in early January, and France in the Mediterranean this week, the British military has yet to seize a single Shadow Fleet vessel on its own.
BBC Verify has since early January identified six tankers operating in the English Channel under false flags – meaning vessels not registered in the countries they fly. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, such tankers can be detained as stateless vessels.
What is known about the Russian shadow fleet?
In early December 2022, the G7 members, as well as Australia and the EU, imposed price caps on Russian oil, setting a maximum price of $60 per barrel. Already in January 2026, the European Union reported a reduction in the price of Russian oil to $44.1 per barrel from February 1, 2026.
To circumvent oil sanctions, Russia has begun building a shadow fleet. This is a fleet of old tankers that turn off their beacons so that they cannot be seen by surveillance systems. These tankers are mostly operated by the Russian state-owned company Suchkomflot.
According to The Guardian’s September 2023 estimates, Russia’s shadow fleet consists of approximately 600 vessels, providing 70% of Russia’s oil exports and almost 10% of the world’s “wet cargo” fleet. It transports an estimated 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, generating large profits for the Kremlin.
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