US struck 5 Iranian tankers – 3 were also linked to Russia’s shadow fleet

Three of five Iranian oil tankers struck by the US military on 8 September were also involved in Russia’s oil trade and sanctions-evasion network, according to Ukraine’s presidential sanctions commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk.

Russia’s shadow fleet is a network of aging, often opaque-owned tankers used to transport Russian oil while evading Western sanctions, price caps, and restrictions. Moscow uses these vessels to continue generating income from global sources to finance its war against Ukraine.

Vlasiuk told Ukrinform that the vessels – Kaviz, Charminar, and Riesco – had carried Russian oil, visited Russian ports, or operated alongside vessels already under sanctions.

Russia’s shadow fleet overlaps with Iran’s

The three tankers illustrate how Russia and Iran’s efforts to move sanctioned oil can overlap. According to Vlasiuk, the networks share vessels, shipping managers, intermediaries, and routes.

Kaviz had called at Russia’s Ust-Luga and Novorossiysk ports and carried Russian oil. It was also linked to Fractal Marine DMCC, a company that became a major operator of vessels used to transport Russian oil after Western sanctions were imposed.

Charminar had visited several Russian ports, including Ust-Luga, Primorsk, Vysotsk, and St Petersburg. Vlasiuk said it was connected to a shipping network controlled by Iranian oil magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, which handles both Iranian and Russian oil.

Riesco had also transported oil from both countries, including through ship-to-ship transfers involving other sanctioned tankers.

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The vessels were already sanctioned

Ukraine and the US had sanctioned all three tankers, while Kaviz was also under sanctions from the EU, UK, Canada, and Switzerland.

The US military struck five Iranian oil tankers on 8 September, according to Ukrinform, following Iran’s attempts to attack a US Navy vessel. The strikes brought renewed attention to the networks used to transport Iranian oil despite sanctions.