The resilient shadow fleet

A vast network of illicit oil tankers is booming again as the war with Iran disrupts global shipping, according to a new investigation by the Financial Times.

 

Just weeks ago, western powers were tightening sanctions on the so-called “shadow fleet” – hundreds of ageing ships used to move sanctioned oil from countries like Iran and Russia. But the conflict has flipped that dynamic. With conventional shipping blocked in the Strait of Hormuz and oil prices surging, these clandestine vessels have become a lifeline for global supply.

 

Many of these ships “go dark” by switching off tracking signals, spoofing their locations, or conducting ship-to-ship transfers to hide the origin of oil. Others repeatedly change names, flags and ownership, or even repaint their hulls at sea to evade detection.

 

One Iranian vessel, Hilda I, went dark while transiting the Gulf, with satellite imagery indicating it loaded crude at Iran’s Kharg Island before sailing towards China. Another, the Russian-linked Noble Walker, rerouted mid-journey near China to deliver oil to India.

 

Before the war, more than 1,000 vessels had been identified moving sanctioned oil, with roughly two-thirds operating in the shadows. Despite crackdowns, including seizures and blacklisting, the FT found that the network has proved highly resilient, and has expanded and adapted quickly to the chaos in the Middle East, using evasive tactics and operating without western insurance to keep oil flowing out of the Gulf.