Tankers from Russia’s “shadow fleet” begin avoiding UK waters, leading to unprecedented number of ships seen off the west coast of Ireland

After the UK said it would detain vessels from Russia’s “shadow fleet” sailing in its waters, tankers transporting oil for Moscow began avoiding the English Channel and are now taking a longer route into the Atlantic Ocean by traveling around Ireland, according to a report by the Irish Times. Since late March, a significant number of “shadow fleet” tankers have been spotted off Ireland’s west coast. Authorities have alternately dispatched Air Corps and coast guard aircraft to monitor them.

A source in the Irish security services described the number of “shadow fleet” vessels recently passing through Ireland’s exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, as unprecedented. According to sources in military circles, five of the tankers were moving south in an organized group through the EEZ. The newspaper’s sources believe the ships chose that route to avoid the threat of detention in British waters.

According to figures cited by the Irish Times, the vessels were carrying approximately 4 million barrels of Russian oil. All five tankers are on European Union sanctions lists: Vokki (IMO 9434890), Tiburon (IMO 9283291), Aktros (IMO 9257814), Bullar (IMO 9389679) and Deneb (IMO 9301524). According to the vessel-tracking service Starboard Maritime Intelligence, all of the tankers are currently near Gibraltar. Vokki, Aktros, Bullar, and Deneb are all heading for Port Said, Egypt, while Tiburon is bound for Singapore.

In addition to the group of five, several more sanctioned tankers passed through the EEZ during the week, with the Russian fishing vessel Ester also transiting the zone. In 2023, Norwegian authorities found espionage equipment on board the Ester and accused the vessel of secretly conducting maritime reconnaissance.

The shift in traffic follows from the UK government’s March 25 authorization to allow British military personnel and law enforcement officers to detain sanctioned vessels transiting the country’s territorial waters. “Putin is rubbing his hands at the war in the Middle East because he thinks higher oil prices will let him line his pockets. That’s why we’re going after his shadow fleet even harder, not just keeping Britain safe but starving Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine,” commented UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The Irish government has also recently said it intends to begin inspections of sanctioned vessels. Amendments to legislation are now being drafted to give Ireland’s maritime agencies additional powers to inspect ships at sea.