Ukrainian forces disabled a large Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the Black Sea with naval drones on 10 December, according to Suspilne sources. The vessel, named Dashan and flagged to the Comoro Islands, was en route to the Russian port of Novorossiysk with its transponder off when it was struck by Sea Baby unmanned surface vehicles in a joint operation by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and the Ukrainian Navy, Suspilne reported.
Dashan tanker struck while moving at full speed with tracking off
Sources in Ukrainian intelligence told Suspilne that the Dashan tanker suffered critical damage in the attack and can no longer continue its voyage. Militarnyi noted that the Dashan was hit in Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone. The operation was reportedly carried out by the SBU’s 13th Main Directorate of military counterintelligence and the Ukrainian Navy.
The Dashan was traveling at maximum speed with its identification system turned off, making tracking difficult. Russian military blogger Rybar claimed the strike occurred 160 kilometers south of Russian-occupied Feodosia in Crimea.
At the time of the hit, the tanker was reportedly transporting petroleum products valued at approximately $60 million.
Tanker part of Kremlin’s sanctioned shadow fleet
The Dashan is a 275-meter crude oil tanker built in 2005 with a capacity exceeding 164,000 tons. The Dashan has frequently operated in the Mediterranean and Black seas. The ship has been identified as part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which was created to circumvent Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine.
These tankers often change flags, operate without proper insurance, and deactivate identification systems to avoid detection. Despite repeated sanctions and increased monitoring by Western nations, the Kremlin continues using this fleet to export oil, particularly to buyers in China and India.
Pattern of strikes on Russia’s illicit oil fleet
This is reportedly the third Russian-linked tanker hit by Ukrainian naval drones in the last two weeks in the Black Sea. Ukrainian forces previously struck the Kairo and Virat tankers in late November, both also part of Russia’s shadow fleet and already sanctioned by the EU, US, and UK. Russian milbloggers claim that a total of four such vessels have been hit in the past fortnight, possibly also counting the Mersin tanker struck off the Senegalese coast earlier this month.
In response to Russia’s tactics, the international community has stepped up efforts to clamp down on shadow fleet activity. The EU’s 15th sanctions package added dozens more ships involved in illegal oil transport. Australia recently sanctioned 60 shadow fleet tankers for the first time, and Canada has imposed measures on over 200 such vessels.
Still, these measures have not stopped Russia from using the shadow fleet to fund its war effort.
