{"id":102591,"date":"2026-02-25T23:23:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T02:23:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shipping.einnews.com\/article\/895636027\/iAA7S0XuVS9NYej_"},"modified":"2026-02-25T23:23:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T02:23:38","slug":"russian-shadow-fleet-smuggles-55m-oil-cargo-through-english-channel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/25\/russian-shadow-fleet-smuggles-55m-oil-cargo-through-english-channel\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian shadow fleet smuggles $55M oil cargo through English Channel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles! <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Russian-operated shadow tankers carrying millions of dollars in sanctioned oil are transiting the English Channel, raising warnings of a potential military confrontation in NATO waters, according to reports.<\/p>\n

The movements came amid heightened tensions between Russia and NATO, with the Royal Navy stepping up surveillance of U.S.- and allied-sanctioned vessels in one of the world\u2019s busiest shipping lanes.<\/p>\n

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A Russian-flagged crude oil tanker Vladimir Monomakh transits the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey.<\/span> (Reuters\/Yoruk Isik, File)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sky News reported<\/a> Wednesday that as many as 800 shadow tankers had passed through the channel, and continue to bankroll Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Several Russia-linked oil tankers \u2014 including the Rigel, Hyperion and Kousai \u2014 have been tracked by VesselFinder<\/a> and are known to be under Western sanctions.<\/p>\n

The outlet reported that three of the vessels were monitored this month as they transited loaded with sanctioned crude.<\/p>\n

The Rigel, an 885-foot Suezmax-class tanker sailing under a Cameroonian flag, left the Russian port of Primorsk on Feb. 2, with up to one million barrels of oil, a cargo valued at around $55 million.<\/p>\n

US COAST GUARD PURSUES THIRD ‘DARK FLEET’ OIL TANKER AS TRUMP TARGETS VENEZUELAN SANCTIONS EVASION NETWORK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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The French navy diverts a suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker to Marseille-Fos port.<\/span> (Reuters\/Manon Cruz)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Sanctioned by the U.K., the EU and Canada<\/a>, it is barred from using port facilities in those jurisdictions but is still permitted “innocent passage” under maritime law.<\/p>\n

The Kousai, sailing under a Sierra Leonean flag, left Ust-Luga on Feb. 2, and was warned by authorities to provide proof of insurance within 24 hours.<\/p>\n

The Hyperion, also sanctioned by the U.S., switched flags after delivering oil to Venezuela<\/a>, to obscure ownership and evade enforcement, according to reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Security experts<\/a> warned of an increased risk of geopolitical escalation <\/a>in the region.<\/p>\n

SEN. KENNEDY DOUBLES DOWN ON VENEZUELA CRACKDOWN, URGES SANCTIONS TO ‘CHOKE OFF’ FUNDS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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Hundreds of shadow tankers have passed through the English Channel and European waterways, and continue to bankroll Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s war in Ukraine.<\/span> (Kremlin Press Office \/ Handout\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

]Professor Michael Clarke told Sky News that there may come a point when Britain and its allies<\/a> “get much tougher with these Russian ships,” adding that a “militarized confrontation at sea” this year is a real possibility, in the Channel or the North Sea.<\/p>\n

A U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) spokesperson said: “Deterring, disrupting and degrading the Russian shadow fleet<\/a> is a priority for this government.<\/p>\n

“Alongside our allies, we are stepping up our response to shadow vessels<\/a> \u2014 and as the Secretary of State set out, we will continue to do so,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The MoD said it has requested proof of insurance from more than 600 suspected vessels<\/a> since October 2024.<\/p>\n

The U.S. has also taken a firm stance, seizing at least seven tankers<\/a> linked to sanctioned oil trades since December 2025, including several in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n

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Emma Bussey is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Before joining Fox, she worked at The Telegraph with the U.S. overnight team, across desks including foreign, politics, news, sport and culture. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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… of the world\u00e2\u0080\u0099s busiest shipping<\/span> lanes. A Russian-flagged crude … million barrels of oil, a cargo<\/span> valued at around $55 million …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102591\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}