EU Boards Sixth Suspected Shadow Fleet Tanker in Mediterranean

Sixth Flag-Verification Boarding Under EUNAVFOR IRINI

According to a report by The Maritime Executive, the European Union has intercepted a sixth tanker in the Mediterranean believed to be part of the shadow fleet transporting Russian oil under a falsified flag. The boarding took place on August 30, when personnel from the Italian patrol vessel ITS Paolo Thaon di Revel approached the tanker by helicopter and small launch to carry out the inspection.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, confirmed the action on social media, describing it as a flag verification. She noted this was the sixth such stop carried out by EUNAVFOR IRINI since the mission’s mandate was broadened earlier this year.

Vessel History Shows Pattern of Flag-Hopping

The tanker involved, named Sun, was listed with a Cameroon registry established in 2026. Equasis records cited in the report show that in 2025 the same vessel had been flagged, apparently falsely, to both Timor-Leste and Benin. Built in 2005 with a capacity of 159,186 dwt, the crude carrier is reportedly owned and managed out of Turkey and falls within Russia’s classification system.

At the time of boarding, the tanker’s AIS signal indicated a voyage originating from Novorossiysk and bound for Denmark, though it was reportedly sailing in ballast and awaiting further orders. The vessel is already under sanctions imposed by both the EU and the UK. Notably, the ship had undergone a port state inspection in Novorossiysk in July, which flagged deficiencies involving firefighting gear, buoys, and alarm systems, though it was not detained at that time.

Legal Basis and Wider Campaign

Operation IRINI was originally launched in 2020 under a United Nations mandate to police an arms embargo affecting Libya. Since March, the mission has operated with an expanded authority allowing a

Reviewed by Ibrahim Halil Ceylan, Marine Surveyor at Apeks Marine.