Western interdictions and enforcement measures against stateless tankers have triggered a sharp increase in the reflagging of vessels to Russian or alternative flags. According to recent industry analysis, at least 120 sanctioned tankers will switch to Russia in the coming months.
Following the EU and G7 sanctions targeting Russian crude exports and associated maritime services, operators have moved to reflag or rename vessels to avoid restrictions. Analysts report that a growing number of tankers previously sailing under foreign flags are now being registered under the Russian flag, often with updated AIS identities to evade detection.
Nearly 70 dark fleet tankers have already broadcast the Russian flag since May 2025, including 40 vessels following the boarding, seizure, or detention of falsely flagged ships by the U.S., UK, and France since December. Recent examples include the Akkord, Saga, and Topaz, which reflagged last week alone.
Throughout 2025, more than 300 shadow fleet tankers trading sanctioned Russian, Iranian, or Venezuelan oil shifted to fraudulent registries such as Botswana, Guyana, Guinea, Madagascar, Gabon, Cook Islands, Barbados, Comoros, and Gambia. Deregistration by permissive registries left many vessels effectively stateless, increasing their vulnerability at sea. Reflagging to Russia restores flag-state protection and legal cover under international maritime law, at least temporarily.
About half of the reflagged tankers are beneficially owned by Sovcomflot, Russia’s state-controlled shipping company. Overall, the number of Russian-flagged tankers over 50,000 DWT now exceeds 100, nearly double the total from a year ago. Sovcomflot has reflagged around 30 of its vessels in the past 10 months, raising the share of its fleet under Russian flag from one-third to 56%.
Data shows the Russian flag has grown by more than 25% over the past 12 months. Windward monitors indicate roughly 120 tankers over 180 m broadcasting flags from 19 fraudulent registries remain under close surveillance while trading to and from Russian Baltic ports.
Analysts warn that this surge in reflagging increases operational and safety risks for shipping. Many of the repurposed vessels are older and operate with limited insurance or classification coverage, while AIS tampering makes navigation and port operations more complex for other commercial vessels.
Enforcement pressure is expected to rise if the European Commission’s proposed 20th sanctions package is approved, replacing the crude oil price cap with a full ban on maritime services linked to Russian crude exports.
