Putin's shadow fleet is getting closer to Norway. The numbers show the scale of the problem
An increasing number of ships from Russia's shadow fleet are sailing along the Norwegian coast. The Norwegian Coastal Administration (Kystverket) registered 981 such tanker voyages from January 2025 to the end of April. 398 of them were carried out by vessels under sanctions.
The shadow fleet is said to be moving more decisively than before.
Fot. Council.gov.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The shadow fleet is used to transport Russian oil despite Western sanctions. The ships are often old, poorly documented, and have unclear ownership structures. Kystverket considers them an environmental risk for Norway. These are mainly full tankers sailing along the challenging northern coastline.
Is the shadow fleet becoming bolder? More voyages recorded
From April 2025 to April 2026, the number of sanctioned ships near the Norwegian coast increased by 175 percent. Kystverket also notes that the number of sanctioned vessels has grown. There are currently 631 of them. Most of the voyages are oil tankers.
In April 2025, there was one sanctioned gas carrier near the coast. In April 2026, there were 11, and the number of sanctioned oil tankers rose from 14 to 26. Previously, there was one chemical tanker. In April this year, seven such vessels were recorded.
Since autumn, Kystverket has been asking tankers for insurance documents. This is important because, in the event of a spill, the insurer should cover the cleanup costs, not Norwegian taxpayers. Norway requested papers from 387 tankers. 307 responded.
In April 2025, there was one sanctioned gas carrier near the coast. In April 2026, there were 11, and the number of sanctioned oil tankers rose from 14 to 26. Previously, there was one chemical tanker. In April this year, seven such vessels were recorded.
Since autumn, Kystverket has been asking tankers for insurance documents. This is important because, in the event of a spill, the insurer should cover the cleanup costs, not Norwegian taxpayers. Norway requested papers from 387 tankers. 307 responded.
Russia is identified as the main threat to Norway.Photo: stock.adobe.com/standard
Inspections at sea. Norway investigates hidden traces
Only 173 ships had fully valid documents. 49 vessels had invalid papers, and a common problem was providing a false country of registration. In 85 cases, the situation remained unclear. Norwegian authorities could not always confirm whether the insurance policy was actually valid.
The Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI) points out that Norway has the ability to act against such ships. Andreas Østhagen from FNI says the country has new coast guard vessels and can conduct inspections. The basis for this is maritime law, including suspicion of serious pollution or lack of ship registration.
So far, Norway has acted cautiously. According to Østhagen, concerns relate to escalation with Russia and possible reactions against Norwegian vessels. Other countries, including France, the USA, and the UK, have taken action against the shadow fleet even outside territorial waters. The boundary of these waters is 12 nautical miles from the coast.
The Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI) points out that Norway has the ability to act against such ships. Andreas Østhagen from FNI says the country has new coast guard vessels and can conduct inspections. The basis for this is maritime law, including suspicion of serious pollution or lack of ship registration.
So far, Norway has acted cautiously. According to Østhagen, concerns relate to escalation with Russia and possible reactions against Norwegian vessels. Other countries, including France, the USA, and the UK, have taken action against the shadow fleet even outside territorial waters. The boundary of these waters is 12 nautical miles from the coast.
The Police Security Service (PST) previously indicated that Russian civilian ships may be used to observe infrastructure on the seabed. Kystverket also reports cases of manipulating the AIS system, i.e., hiding or falsifying ship positions. Methods include false flags and duplicated IMO and MMSI numbers.
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