DIU Publishes Data On 20 Russian Shadow Fleet Vessels Carrying Oil And Gas

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

“These vessels are part of the logistics network that the Kremlin uses to generate revenue to finance its genocidal war against Ukraine. All of them are currently under sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom or Ukraine, while one of the vessels is subject to U.S. restrictions,” the statement said.

The DIU highlighted Russian vessel PORTOVYY (IMO 9246621) among the main subjects of the publication. The vessel is designed to transport and store liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The agency said that since 2021, the tanker has been owned by sanctioned Russian company PJSC Gazprom and has served as a floating gas storage facility at the Portovaya complex in the Leningrad region.

“On August 15, 2026, PORTOVYY, carrying a cargo of Russian LNG, left the Gulf of Finland for the first time since November 2021. The tanker sailed along the Northern Sea Route to the Chinese port of Beihai for unloading,” the agency said.

The vessel is currently at the Zhoushan Huafeng Shipyard on Zhoushan Island in China, which has been designated as the site for its maintenance.

The agency also published details about two new vessels involved in Russia's shadow fleet of gas carriers, which the aggressor state hastily acquired through front companies around the world in spring 2026.

They are the conventional LNG tanker AVACHA (IMO 9319404) and the gas carrier CHAIVO (IMO 9319404).

AVACHA was previously owned by China's Jovo Energy but was acquired in spring 2026 by the little-known company Tudor Maritime Ltd, registered in the Marshall Islands.

Since June 2026, the conventional LNG tanker has sailed under the Russian flag and has been operated by the newly established Russian entity Kryoline Management LLC (TIN 6500028647).

According to the agency, since August 2026 the vessel has been transporting gas from the Utrenny terminal of the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project to the Beihai hub in China.

CHAIVO was previously owned by Greece's Maran Gas Maritime but was also acquired by Tudor Maritime Ltd.

“Since July 2026, the vessel has been transferred to the Russian flag and placed under the umbrella of Kryoline Management LLC. Since August this year, the gas carrier has been transporting cargoes to the port of Beihai from the sanctioned non-self-propelled floating gas storage unit KORYAK FSU, located in the waters of the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,” the DIU said.

The agency explained that, in an effort to preserve critically important revenues from energy exports, Russia is not only attempting to build ice-class vessels at its own shipyards but is also systematically and proactively expanding its shadow fleet through a network of offshore companies.

Read also: UK imposes new sanctions on Russia's oil, shadow fleet, war supply chains

The agency called on foreign partners to coordinate their efforts, including by strengthening controls over the sale of vessels owned by commercial entities, decisively cutting off Russia's energy revenues that are converted into weapons used against civilians, and blocking opportunities for sanctioned vessels to receive services at foreign shipyards.

“Every Russian tanker carrying sanctioned oil or gas is a legitimate target for international sanctions pressure,” the agency said.

As reported, the DIU uncovered a scheme used by Russian agricultural tycoons to evade sanctions while generating revenue in the EU to finance the war against Ukraine.

Photo: AI-generated

MENAFN11102026000193011044ID1111789571