What Are ‘Ghost Fleet’ Ships?

New York Times - WorldCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Anushka PatilJanuary 7, 2026 at 11:51 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

"Ghost fleet" ships, also known as "dark" or "shadow" fleets, are vessels that transport oil in violation of international sanctions, primarily for countries like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. These ships use deceptive tactics to evade detection, such as falsifying their identities, obscuring their locations, and conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers. They are often older vessels with intentionally opaque ownership. The United States recently seized two such tankers involved in transporting Venezuelan crude. Experts estimate that ghost fleets may constitute up to 20 percent of all oil tankers, with their numbers increasing since sanctions were imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. These fleets operate globally, complicating efforts to track illicit oil shipments.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Caribbean Sea 40% Ukraine 40% Kpler 40% TankerTrackers.com 40% M Sophia 50% U.S. Southern Command 50% European Union 50% Iran 60% Venezuela ×370% Russia ×270% United States ×690%

Keywords

ghost fleet 100% dark fleet 90% shadow fleet 90% oil tankers 80% sanctions 70% evasion tactics 60% vessel identification 50% oil shipments 50% russia 40% venezuela 40%