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Russian vessels in the Black Sea are using an unusual, possibly coordinated method to falsify tracking data and conceal their routes, as Moscow tightens control over its shadow fleet to protect ships from attacks, the Financial Times reports.
Ollie Ballinger, a shadow fleet tracking specialist at University College London, said at least 12 sanctioned tankers had used identical devices to transmit false coordinates, making the vessels appear stationary hundreds of miles from their actual locations.
Ballinger suspects a coordinated deception scheme. In recent months, six tankers simultaneously transmitted two sets of coordinates through their Automatic Identification System (AIS), making them appear to be in two places at once.
Russia’s shadow fleet has long falsified AIS data to evade Western sanctions and maintain oil revenues following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The vessels are now changing their concealment methods amid increasing Ukrainian drone attacks and Russian strikes across the Black Sea.
Bridget Diakun, research director at Lloyd’s List Intelligence, said this behaviour was new for sanctioned shadow fleet tankers operating in the region.
“It is likely part of a broader trend in which Russia is trying to protect these assets as the EU becomes increasingly active in intervening against and disrupting sanctioned vessels, while Ukrainians are becoming more aggressive in their efforts to disrupt Russian oil exports,” Diakun said.
Ballinger observed that tankers frequently used this dual-positioning technique when leaving the Black Sea through the Bosporus Strait. Turkish authorities require vessels to transmit their coordinates while passing through the strait with the assistance of tugboats. During these passages, tankers briefly activated their genuine satellite AIS systems while continuing to broadcast false coordinates near the Bosporus entrance.
For example, on 27 August, the Russian oil tanker Pirop transmitted a position near the Bosporus while simultaneously reporting that it was approximately 800 kilometres away, near the Turkish coast. She Ray Ships Co, listed in the Equasis shipping database as the vessel’s manager, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Financial Times identified several indications that the vessels were using identical devices running the same software. They transmitted exactly matching coordinates, even though ships normally experience small positional variations due to movement on the water. The reported positions of all the vessels also froze simultaneously at 08:13 UTC.
Although sanctioned tankers frequently transmit false AIS coordinates, the use of identical devices across multiple vessels is unusual, the newspaper noted.
Over the past year, nearly all tankers identified in the Black Sea have switched to the Russian flag, bringing them under Russian maritime regulations.
To protect against repeated drone attacks, many tankers have been fitted with protective nets and metal structures. In the summer, more than 30 shadow fleet vessels also changed their names to Russian names for precious stones, including Gagat, Labrador and Sapphire. These changes took place just days after the vessels switched to the Russian flag.
Of the 12 tankers identified as transmitting false coordinates, only one had not switched to the Russian flag. Instead, it registered under the flag of Equatorial Guinea, which has become an alternative flag state for Russian vessels. The seaworthiness of these ships is certified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping.
Michelle Wiese Bockmann, a senior analyst at maritime intelligence company Windward, said more than 80 vessels switched to the Russian flag between July and September. She described the shift as the clearest indication yet that Moscow intends to strengthen its control over its fleet and shipping logistics.
The changes come amid sanctions imposed by European and British regulators over the past two and a half years against nearly 700 tankers transporting Russian oil and gas.
According to Windward estimates, Russia’s shadow fleet consists of 1,229 vessels with a deadweight tonnage exceeding 20,000 tonnes. More than three-quarters are under sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom or the European Union.
Britain recently imposed sanctions on eight vessels that Russia plans to use to establish a new shadow fleet for transporting liquefied natural gas. London hopes the restrictions will reduce Moscow’s revenues used to finance its war against Ukraine. The latest package includes 31 measures.
