Ukraine detains Russia ‘shadow fleet’ cargo ship in Odesa, SBU says
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained a ship from Russia's
"shadow fleet" that illegally transported agricultural products from Russian-occupied Crimea, the SBU said on Dec. 10.
According to a Telegram post by the SBU, the vessel has been detained at a commercial port in Odesa. It arrived under the flag of an African country to export a shipment of steel pipes.
The owner of the ship has been sanctioned by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, thus he regularly changed the name of the ship and the formal beneficiaries to third countries, according to the post.
The SBU added that before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the dry cargo ship docked in Sevastopol at least seven times to illegally export agricultural products and, in January 2021, it transported nearly 7,000 tons of grain from Crimea to North Africa.
The ship's crew, consisting of the captain and 16 members, are citizens of several Middle Eastern countries. Flight plans, pilot cards, cartographic materials, and radio communication logs were found were found, providing evidence of illegal entry into the ports of the occupied territories.
SBU investigators have opened criminal proceedings under four articles of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, including financing attempts to overthrow the constitutional order, high treason, transport violations, and illegal entry to and exit from occupied territory.
Russia's shadow fleet has been increasingly targeted by Western sanctions as Ukraine's international partners seek to limit Russian oil revenues, which help fund Moscow's war machine.
The shadow fleet includes hundreds of older, often uninsured or poorly maintained tankers. These typically operate under the flags of other countries and have little transparency, making it difficult for regulators to enforce sanctions.
