How the shadow fleet is capitalising on the chaos of conflict
December 2022
The Strateg, initially named Melodia and crusing below the Marshall Islands flag, is a part of a fleet exporting crude oil from Russia
June 2023
The ship is renamed Li Bai and modifications its flag to Panama
2024
It makes calls to Russian ports the place oil constantly breaches the $60 worth cap
January 2025
The vessel is positioned below sanctions by the US
February 2025
Renamed Azuron and registered below a false Guyana flag
April 2025
Renamed Danshui and registered below a false Comoros flag
Could 2025
Sanctions imposed by the EU
July 2025
Sanctions imposed by the UK
Registered below a false Benin flag
December 2025
The vessel, now in impact stateless, is reportedly bought to Russian consumers. Pictures present it coming into the Bosphorus Strait with a freshly painted Cyrillic identify, Strateg, and flying the Russian flag
February 2026
FT evaluation of ship monitoring knowledge and satellite tv for pc imagery evaluation reveals the Strateg participating in ship-to-ship transfers with different vessels below sanctions close to the Suez Canal
March 2026
The vessel is en path to ship crude to the Vadinar refinery on India’s west coast, a facility backed by Russia’s state oil firm
