Two tankers from Russia's "shadow fleet" have caught fire off the coast of Turkey following explosions on board. Both vessels sail under the flag of The Gambia and are subject to international sanctions.
The tanker Kairos was en route from Egypt to Novorossiysk via the Bosphorus to load Urals crude for onward shipment to India. The vessel appears on UK and EU sanctions lists for transporting Russian oil.
According to Turkey's General Directorate of Maritime Affairs, the crew reported that an "external impact" caused the explosion. All 25 crew members were evacuated; no injuries were reported. The shipping agency Tribeca indicates the tanker is at risk of sinking.
The second vessel—the tanker Virat—had been idling in the western Black Sea for nearly a year after being blacklisted by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The ship is also under EU sanctions. In June, it was spotted in the port of Sevastopol. There were 20 people on board; no casualties were reported.
Preliminary reports suggest both tankers may have struck sea mines. At the time of the incident, the vessels were unladen, carrying no oil cargo. The Russian Consulate General stated that no Russian citizens were on board.
Following the loss of the European market due to sanctions, Russia has spent approximately $10 billion creating its own "shadow fleet" to transport oil to Asia—primarily to China and India. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence estimates, as of early 2025, the fleet numbered roughly 940 vessels—a 45% increase from the previous year. This accounts for about 17% of the global oil tanker fleet. Key characteristics of these ships include an average age of around 20 years (compared to 13 years for the global fleet), a lack of proper insurance, frequent flag-hopping, and the falsification of location data.
European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius has warned that the "shadow fleet" poses a spectrum of threats to Europe: from weapons transport and the potential launch of drones from tankers at European nations to intelligence gathering and the risk of environmental disasters. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air estimates that cleaning up a major oil spill from such a tanker could cost up to €1.4 billion—a bill likely to be footed by European taxpayers. Since February 2022, more than 50 incidents involving these tankers have been recorded.
The international community is intensifying pressure on Russia's "shadow fleet." The US has sanctioned over 180 oil tankers, while the EU, in its 19th sanctions package, plans to expand the blacklist to 568 vessels. Canada has also imposed restrictions on nearly 100 ships. Furthermore, the EU is developing legal mechanisms to detain tankers in the Baltic Sea; in April, Estonia detained a suspected "shadow fleet" vessel, and French military personnel have previously boarded a similar tanker for inspection.
