does anybody yell and swear in frustration at Claude? asking for a friend.
Michelle Wiese Bockmann
@michellewb.bsky.social
Michelle Wiese Bockmann, London-based maritime intelligence analyst & writer. Tanker tracker & subject matter expert in deceptive shipping practices, the 'dark fleet' & global trade with experience spanning 25 years across 3 continents. Views my own.
Putins mercenaries’ man the shadow fleet. Through fake job interviews and more than 2000 crew lists Danwatch and our international partners are now able to tell exactly when, why and where Russian mercenaries man tankers from the shadow fleet. Three articles out today. In Danish. Read here.
Lækkede dokumenter: Putins lejesoldater sejler i Danmark
Danwatch kan sammen med internationale mediepartnere for første gang afsløre, at russiske lejesoldater sejler rundt på skyggeflåden i det skjulte for at overvåg
danwatch.dk
Wagner, Redut, Moran, GRU, private and state security - the mercenaries on the shadow fleet come from a variety of Russian military instituions. They've fought in Ukraine, Syria and Mali before secretly going on board the shadow fleet. But who are they? Read the full piece here.
De har været i krig i Ukraine og Syrien – nu er de i Østersøen
Russiske lejesoldater, militær- og sikkerhedsfolk har sejlet hemmeligt rundt i Danmark. Danwatch tegner her et billede af, hvem der er tale om.
danwatch.dk
In the latest STR episode CFS Research Fellow Gonzalo Saiz is joined by @michellewb.bsky.social, and Claire Grunewald to examine how Russia’s shadow fleet emerged and what governments can do to disrupt its operations. Listen to the podcast: https://bit.ly/3PPUPFl
Some brief observations from the @windward-ai.bsky.social platform of the chaos in the Middle East and impact on maritime traffic. This Chinese-owned VLCC loaded and sailed through past 12 hours no problems
windward.ai/blog/cameroo... the game of flag governance whack-a-mole continues, although the dark fleet appears to be running out of flags, and fraudulent flags are no longer an option. haven't seen a falsely flagged tanker transit for at least a week I think. link to blog below:
Exclusive HD satellite pic of 🇷🇺 submarine KRASNODAR in Alexandria (Egypt - مصر 🇪🇬) Last appearance of this Kilo-class was a few weeks ago, tracked by NATO-commanded 🇮🇹 ships. This port visit is much more discrete than the previous one in Algiers 🇩🇿...
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the EU's top diplomatic official Belén Martinez Carbonell warned that Russia's shadow fleet is now one of the most direct maritime security threats facing Europe. #MSC2026 ukdefencejournal.org.uk/eu-official-...
EU official warns Russian shadow fleet threatens Europe
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the EU's top diplomatic official Belén Martinez Carbonell warned that Russia's shadow fleet is now one of the most direct maritime security threats facing Europe. #MSC2026
ukdefencejournal.org.uk
ANNA MARIA (IMO: 9407469) got a new anchor and chain delivered in Kalundborg, Denmark after port-call in Ust-Luga, Russia. No information where she lost her anchor and chain. Photos: Poul Blasen / Facebook (www.facebook.com/groups/69399...)
Washington DC here I come! I'll be there next week for the Windward Academy, Feb 3. Link to join below: ⬇️ I'll be delivering the keynote, followed by an expert panel that will focus on designing mission-critical maritime intelligence for U.S. operational superiority. go.wnwd.com/windward-aca...
Windward Academy DC 2026
Join leading experts at the Windward Academy in D.C. for a high-impact training day on turning multi-sensor data into mission-focused, actionable intelligence.
go.wnwd.com
I'll be in Washington DC on Feb 3 for the Windward Academy to talk maritime intelligence/dark fleet and the defining feature of 2026: the blurring of commercial and military in shipping in an increasingly fractured, uncertain and disrupted world. Link to register: go.wnwd.com/windward-aca...
LIVE WEBINAR ON PREPARING FOR EU BAN ON RUSSIA-DERIVED REFINED PRODUCTS: The 'laundering loophole' is being closed, banning diesel, jet fuel, gasoline etc from refineries in Türkiye and India. On Wed. Jan 14) I'll be joining Daniel Martin to talk about what this means. go.wnwd.com/eus-russian-...
Falsely flagged, EU and US-sanctioned Ethera (IMO 9387279) flying the flag of the fraudulent registry of Guinea is sailing through the English Channel right now laden with Russian oil. more about this @windward-ai.bsky.social Maritime Defense Weekly windward.ai/blog/maritim...
The Dark Fleet, Lifeline of Sanctioned Oil Revenues, is Under Attack. Free to read @windward-ai.bsky.social blog that outlines the new and rapidly evolving strategy that's emerged to counter the dark fleet in Venezuela and the Black Sea click on link: windward.ai/blog/the-dar...
The Dark Fleet Is Under Attack
U.S. seizure of Skipper and targeted Ukrainian drone strikes mark a turning point for the dark fleet, exposing hundreds of false-flag tankers carrying sanctioned oil to rising legal and operational ri...
windward.ai
the risk that false flag ships pose to coastal states now playing out in a pass-the-parcel standoff between Türkiye and Bulgaria over Kairos, which was attacked by Ukrainian drone on November 28. Turkish-flag tug "purposely" towed Kairos to Bulgaria waters and cut adrift windward.ai/blog/ukraine...
Ukraine’s Drone War on Dark Fleet Triggers Diplomatic Tensions, Heightens Black Sea Risk
Ukraine’s drone strikes on dark fleet tankers are sparking Türkiye–Bulgaria tensions and exposing escalating security and compliance risks in the Black Sea.
windward.ai
the game of flag governance whack-a-mole continues. Gambia's government follows Comoros in cleaning up the mess left by private contractors running their ship registries. Spoiler alert: Russia hijacked them to ship sanctioned oil & deliver billions in revenue for Kremlin windward.ai/blog/gambia-...
Gambia Deletes Shadow Fleet Tankers in Second Flag Governance Crackdown
Gambia purges dozens of shadow-fleet tankers as pressure mounts on weak registries, exposing how sanctioned vessels exploit fraudulent flags to evade oversight.
windward.ai
Greek-owned tankers have largely underpinned oil price cap-compliant Russian crude shipments since the start of the war. Not any more windward.ai/blog/greece-...
Greece-Owned Tankers Exit Russia Crude Trades Ahead of U.S. Sanctions Deadline
There’s been a drastic and immediate fall in the number of Greece-owned tankers lifting Russian crude to the lowest level since the invasion of Ukraine, amid widespread disruption ahead of a U.S. sanc...
windward.ai
A shadow fleet operating beyond flags, insurance, and basic safety is testing Europe’s security. Windward’s @michellewb.bsky.social provides key insight to BBC on why the risks are intensifying and why “the dark fleet is getting darker.” www.bbc.com/news/article...
On the front line of Europe's standoff with Russia's shadow fleet
With Europe imposing sanctions on Moscow, there has been a growing network of vessels sailing without a valid flag from Russia through European waters.
bbc.com
well worth a read via Google translate, Jakob does great work on the shadow fleet in the Baltic
Jakob Kjøgx Bohr@jakobbohr.bsky.social · 9mo agoDanish pilots keep reporting sightings of little green men aboard civilian vessels coming from Russia. Unfortunately the authorities don’t want to discuss these sightings. But a veteran pilot with decades of experience is willing to talk. Full story here: danwatch.dk/militaerunif...
🚢 Windward’s #ShipoftheDay: Lion 1 (IMO 9384069). Few dark fleet stories move this fast. In just five months, Lion 1 went from new owner to sanctioned tanker. 🧵👇
Boracay was highest-profile falsely flagged tanker we've seen so far. (~62% of @windward-ai.bsky.social' s dark fleet over 20kdwt is falsely flagged or unknown). Yet despite headlines & fact Benin-flagged tanker is unregulated, insurance invalidated etc, discharged cargo at Vadinar, India 1/11
We're having a webinar at @windward-ai.bsky.social on Thursday to deconstruct what this means (even darker fleet as Russia mirrors Iran's tactics if this isn't a Trump TACO trade I think), & why this could be a gamechanger. no more letting Russia oil flow but stopping it. sign up below
Windward@windward-ai.bsky.social · 9mo agoNew sanctions on Rosneft & Lukoil are reshaping global trade and energy flows faster than expected. Oct 30, join experts from WindwardAI, Stena Bulk, Sanctions SOS & former OFAC leadership for a live briefing on dark fleets, evasion tactics, and guidance for what’s next. go.wnwd.com/sanctions-on...
A new OSINT source for those tracking sanctioned ships: FleetLeaks. fleetleaks.com/harmonization/. Joins outfits like Sketchy Boats and Dark Waters Initiative in shining a light on what's happening out there. As I always say: sunlight is the best disinfectant. Welcome to the club Fleetleaks!
Maritime Sanctions Harmonization Analysis | UK, EU, US Overlap Data
Explore sanctions harmonization across 6 jurisdictions. Interactive Venn diagrams show UK-EU overlap at 73%, vessel overlaps, and compliance patterns.
fleetleaks.com
another day, another fraudulent registry and another falsely flagged ship. Welcome Botswana! sanctioned LPG tanker Meda now at a Houthi-occupied port in Yemen, fourth flag change broadcast since 26/9, that's one a week, quite impressive in all the wrong ways
the mysterious tale of the Iran-flagged tankers that began simultaneously began signalling their AIS, then days later stopped. All covered in @windward-ai.bsky.social free-to-read blog windward.ai/blog/iran-fl...
Iran-Flagged Tankers Briefly End, Then Resume, AIS Dark Activity
Windward detected a rare pause in dark activity by Iran-flagged tankers before they vanished again, revealing coordinated AIS behavior across key oil routes.
windward.ai
Today's @windward-ai.bsky.social #shipoftheday focuses on ever-expanding sanctions on Russia LNG and a growing 'dark fleet' of ships serving these trades. caught in the crosshairs aren't just Russia-linked vessels but those with EU connections. as always, telling the bigger story 1 ship at a time
Windward@windward-ai.bsky.social · 10mo ago🚢 Windward's #ShipoftheDay: Clean Vision (IMO 9655456). Among the 51 vessels sanctioned by the UK last week were seven LNG carriers, including Clean Vision, a Malta-flagged ship now caught in the expanding sanctions net. 🧵👇
The latest @windward-ai.bsky.social Ship of the Day focuses on the dark fleet antics in the waters of one of our NATO members: Türkiye. It's dangerous. The reality isn't matching Turkiye's procedures & policies. Here's what we've found, telling the bigger story, as always, one ship at a time.
Windward@windward-ai.bsky.social · 10mo ago🚢 Windward's Ship of the Day: Satna (IMO 9253234). A textbook case of how the dark fleet is bypassing sanctions, and even enforcement, at one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints: the Bosporus Strait. 🧵👇
Another day, another false flag, this time Zimbabwe. Russia is cycling quickly through African continent, adding to Benin, Sudan, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique . @windward-ai.bsky.social's white paper on false flags, fraudulent registries and the dark fleet can be found here: windward.ai/knowledge-ba...
zombie tankers are stalking the oceans. find out about this one which I've been watching for quite a while. thinking of doing a halloween special on them!
Windward@windward-ai.bsky.social · 10mo agoZombie ships are a fixture of the Iran-China oil trades. Windward's Ship of the Day, Wood Lotus (IMO 9252979), a perfect example of the genre haunting the oceans. 🧵👇
