EU Sanctions Operator of the Comoros and Gabon Flag Registries　07/20/25 (The Maritime Executive)

The wreck of the Gabon-flagged crude oil tanker Pablo, 2023 (MMEA)

The European Union and the UK have sanctioned a UAE-based company that operates two different flag registries used by the Russian "shadow fleet," the flags of Gabon and Comoros. Whether or not the designation affects the operations of anonymous, Russia-facing tanker operators, it shines a light on the commercial arrangements that enable Russian oil exports.

The company, Intershipping Services LLC, is headquartered in a modern condominium tower in a suburb of Dubai. Both of the flag registries it markets are associated with sanctions evasion, and Gabon has been particularly active since the invasion of Ukraine. The Gabon registry absorbed many of the Russia-linked ships that had become a liability for other registries, including a large share of the Sovcomflot fleet. In 2024, the influx of Russian tonnage made Gabon the fastest-growing shipping register in the world. Gabon was also the flag state of the infamous Iran-linked tanker Pablo, which blew up off Malaysia in 2023.

According to the EU, Intershipping Services LLC also operates the Comoros registry, acting through its owner's family relationships and a subsidiary office located in Mumbai. Comoros has flagged vessels that evade G7 sanctions and transport Russian crude oil, and it is also well-known in enforcement circles. It is on the Paris MOU's black list for frequent vessel detentions, is considered "high risk" by the U.S. Coast Guard, and is one of the three most commonly-encountered flags in crew-abandonment cases, according to the ITF. Comoros also ranks high on the list of flag states for vessels linked to Iranian oil-trafficking, according to United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI).

Since shadow fleet vessels can be found on the Gabon and Comoros registers, the high-risk shipping practices of questionable tanker operators can too, the EU said. These practices include buying inadequate insurance, engaging in AIS manipulation, and evading safety regulations through opaque corporate structures.

According to Allianz, the global list of shadow fleet tankers serving sanctioned states - Iran, Russia and Venezuela - now stands at about 17 percent of all global tanker tonnage. Russia has driven the explosive growth of the fleet, and now uses more than 300 less-regulated tankers to move its oil to clients in India and China.

"They’re essentially like a tumor on the global shipping system," Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Marketplace.

Estonia attempts to detain “civilian vessel” in Gulf of Finland, ship confirmed as member of Russia’s “shadow fleet”　05/15/25 (THE INSIDER)

The Jaguar tanker is a member of Russia's “shadow fleet.” Photo: Maritime Optima

Earlier today, in the Gulf of Finland, multiple ships of the Estonian Navy attempted to force the civilian vessel Jaguar to change course and enter the country’s territorial sea, according to Russian pro-war Telegram channels Dobry Moryachok (lit. “Kind Sailor”) and RaZved_DoZor. According to these reports, the Jaguar, which bears the flag of Gabon, was sailing in international waters at the time of the incident.

The channels claim that Estonia deployed significant resources for the operation, including the patrol boat Raju (confirmed via MarineTraffic data), the patrol boat Kurvits, an amphibious helicopter, and a PZL M28 aircraft. NATO aircraft — specifically Polish Air Force MiG-29s — were also reportedly involved in the attempted interception. The channels shared videos allegedly filmed by Jaguar crew members as evidence.

The Insider was able to confirm, using Sentinel navigation charts and data from tracking service MarineTraffic, that Jaguar was indeed located in neutral waters during its encounter with the Estonian patrol boat Kurvits.

However, the video shared by the pro-Russian Telegram channels shows coordinates on the vessel’s navigation display indicating that, at the time of filming, the ship was positioned just south of the neutral waters boundary — within Estonia’s territorial waters. Estonian naval vessels then continued tracking the Jaguar as it moved into international waters.

The vessel is listed by Ukrainian intelligence and the international NGO Greenpeace as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” — a collection of poorly maintained, aging tankers that are used to transport crude oil above the $60-per-barrel price cap set in December 2022 by the G7 countries, the EU, and Australia. The fleet has allowed the Kremlin to continue to line its coffers and finance the ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which entered its fourth year in February 2025.

According to the reports on Telegram, Estonian forces twice attempted to land a boarding team from a helicopter onto the Jaguar. However, the ship’s crew allegedly prevented the inspection team from boarding and continued along their course en route to the port of Primorsk in Russia’s Leningrad Region. The reports also claimed that a Russian Su-35 fighter jet arrived to escort the vessel into Russian territorial waters.

Norwegian military analyst Thord Are Iversen writes that, according to ship-tracking services, Jaguar did indeed disobey Estonian commands and is currently anchored near Gogland Island — which is part of Russian territory in the Gulf of Finland. He notes that the video footage shared by Russian channels “seems legit” and confirms that an Estonian naval ship was in close proximity to Jaguar during the incident.

This is not the first time the Estonian Navy has undertaken such an action. On April 11, Estonian authorities detained Kiwala, a tanker also linked to the Russian “shadow fleet.” At the time of its detention, the tanker was flying the flag of Djibouti, though Djiboutian authorities initially denied the vessel was registered with them, Estonian officials said. The ship was released after the Estonian Transport Authority received a letter confirming Djibouti would accept the vessel onto its registry. The Russia-bound Kiwala was eventually released on April 28.

In January, German authorities towed the drifting Eventin, another suspected Russian “shadow fleet” tanker, to shore after it suffered a power failure. Germany’s federal government then confiscated the vessel — along with $40 million worth of its crude oil cargo — and replaced its crew, taking full control of the ship.

安保理北朝鮮制裁リスト９隻の内パラオ船籍は３隻 10/12/17 (やしの実通信)

「北朝鮮籍の船舶など4隻を制裁対象に追加　国連安保理」 10/10 2017 http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00372957.html 上記の記事によると「国連安保理は、北朝鮮に対する制裁決議で禁止されている物品を運んでいたとして、5日付で、北朝鮮籍などの4隻の船舶に対して、国連加盟国の港に入港することを禁止する措置をとった。」とある。

北朝鮮に便宜置籍船で加担しているのはどれも小国である。

セントキッツ・ネイビス連邦（人口5万）
カンボジア（1600万）
コモロ連合（67万）
ベリーズ（32万）
パラオ（1万２千）
パナマ（4百万）

下記のThe Marine Executiveの記事が詳しい。

"U.N. Blacklists Four More North Korean Freighters"
http://maritime-executive.com/article/un-blacklists-four-more-north-korean-freighters

今回りストに上がったが、制裁対象とならなかった５隻の内３隻がパラオの旗。
- Jia Feng (ex name Cheng Hong), a Palau-flagged bulker
- Kai Xiang, a Panama-flagged bulker
- East Glory (or East Glory 7), a Palau-flagged freighter
- Xin Sheng Hai, a Belize-flagged freighter
- Toyo Maru, a Palau-flagged freighter (formerly flagged in Fiji)

今回制裁対象になったのは下記の４隻 - Jie Shun, a Cambodian-flagged freighter
- Tong San 2, a North Korean-flagged freighter
- Hao Fan 6, a St. Kitts and Nevis-flagged bulker
- Petrel 8, a Comoros-flagged bulker

下記のロイターの記事も参考になる。
OCTOBER 11, 2017 /
"U.N. bans four ships over North Korea coal, U.S. delays four more"
Michelle Nichols
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-un/u-n-bans-four-ships-over-north-korea-coal-u-s-delays-four-more-idUSKBN1CF2MV