AGATE tethered to TIGER as they exit the Baltic Photos: Kurt Pedersen, Under Broen

Italian MOD: Boarding for flag-verification of likely false flagged - but definitely sketchy - tanker TOA PAYOH (IMO: 9298492) sketchy.boats/9298492 www.difesa.it/eng/primo-pi...

One of the sketchiest oil tankers, AGATE, is currently being towed from an anchorage outside of Skt. Petersburg to Yalova, Turkey according to information they broadcast on AIS. sketchy.boats/9310707

Christian Panton@pa.nton.cx · 3mo ago

It's been a while, but: 🚨 False flagged 'AGATE' entered the Baltic through Storebælt. No overt response from the Danish Navy (acting as Coast Guard). Now back into international waters. 🔥 sketchy.boats/9310707

Interesting side-channel analysis on the shadow fleet.

A Private Email Server Connects Russia-Owned Sovcomflot to a Web of Shadow Fleet Operators

Sovcomflot crew postings on Telegram list the same anonymously registered email domain that a network of shadow fleet firms use, Kharon found. Experts say it furthers long-held suspicions about state ...

kharon.com

605 Admiral Levchenko heading south in The Great Belt escorted by RDN P521 Freja.

Akademik Boris Petrov passing Samsø heading south in the Great Belt.

Sentinel-2 images of grounded, sinking and leaking oil tanker CAROLINE BEZENGI. No rescue efforts visible. Loaded at Novorossiysk, en route to India.

MV SOUTH STAR (briefly detained by IRINI), left La Goulette 24 hours ago. MarineTraffic now detected the switch to Equatorial Guinea flag on AIS. I suspect that there is a lag in MarineTraffic of 24h for flag changes - which means that switch would happen as she left detention.

Christian Panton@pa.nton.cx · 2w ago

Photos on X confirms IMO number. A bit of mixed signals on the flag: Home port -> Limbe (thats Cameroon). Flag -> colors of Equatorial Guinea flag

As suggested by Sentinel-1 images: Sergey Balk is being towed by another tug. Photos by Anders Dyhrberg Bruun confirms this, as they cross the Great Belt Bridge. Towing vessel is SB-406.

Christian Panton@pa.nton.cx · last wk.

Tug Sergey Balk transitting Danish Straits with curious AIS status: Aground. Operating closely (500 meters) near other similar sized object. NATO escorts typically are at 2 NM.

Update: ONIKS has been "Not Under Command" and drifting for 12 hours so far. Moves at ~1 kn SSE (somewhat consistent with the forecasted currents in the area). www.dmi.dk/strom

Laden crude and oil products tanker ONIKS (IMO: 9439383), "not under command" in the North Sea, 48 NM from the Danish coastline. Recently started broadcasting Russian flag, after issues with operating with duplicate Cameroon MMSI. Suspected to be involved in STS operations off Kaliningrad.

auonsson@auonsson.bsky.social · 4w ago

Full list of tankers suspected to be involved in Russian ship-to-ship oil transfer operation by Kaliningrad last week: BHILVA, 9439383 CAI YUN, 9437983 GARASAN, 9323986 THRON, 9404948 NIGHT GLORY, 9319674 ATMOS, 9337418 PATE, 9338905

RF Navy Baltic Fleet Vishnya-class intelligence collection ship Vasiliy Tatishchev departed Baltiysk by midday on 25 July and conducted a northbound transit the Sound (Øresund) today; likely escorted by Danish Navy warship bsky.app/profile/chac... bsky.app/profile/pa.n...

... and maybe another escort seems to go through Øresund. Will come past Copenhagen in the coming hours 📸

Tug Sergey Balk transitting Danish Straits with curious AIS status: Aground. Operating closely (500 meters) near other similar sized object. NATO escorts typically are at 2 NM.

Still broadcasting false identity on AIS, approaching the Great Belt Bridge.

Inbound sketchy tanker: MALAK / SINTEZ (IMO: 9378632) Broadcasts AIS as "Comoros". Listed in IHS as "Russia". Listed in IHS as used to be "Comoros" false. Coming to the Baltic from Venezuela!

Thank you! Primary source: Council Regulation (EU) 2026/1848 of 23 July 2026 amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-conten...

Open question for Sal Mercogilano's excellent What's Going on With Shipping? YouTube channel: why do these scams persist, and why does the IMO and flag states seem powerless? We've studied it closely. Still a mystery🕵️ But this is a step in the right direction. @mercoglianos.bsky.social

Christian Panton@pa.nton.cx · 2w ago

Suniel K. Sharma has been sanctioned in the 21st sanctions package. @tomi-mcc.bsky.social and my article with Bellingcat on his organisation: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/02...

All vessels sanctioned in the EU 21st sanctions package: sketchy.boats#f=sketchines... Copy paste friendly: raw.githubusercontent.com/christianpan...

sketchy.boats

Not saying this boat's shady. Just saying it ticks a lot of weird boxes. Sketchiness score inside.

sketchy.boats

Suniel K. Sharma has been sanctioned in the 21st sanctions package. @tomi-mcc.bsky.social and my article with Bellingcat on his organisation: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/02...

Something is being escorted south through Storebælt this morning by P520 Diana. Looks like a dazzled Mona-class, but not my area of expertise.

The owners of CAROLINE BEZENGI have been given to end of day to salvage their leaking vessel. Otherwise Oman is threatening legal action (or perhaps taking control) From what I can tell, the communication is phrased like an advertisement for the owner of the vessel: www.instagram.com/p/DbIadtWDCc4/

Christian Panton@pa.nton.cx · 2w ago

Video of CAROLINE BEZENGI during her lastlast visit to the Baltic in October 2025. Now taking on water and about to break up off the Coast of Oman, loaded with oil. She already appears to be leaking oil. The vessel is ~3/4 the size of Exxon Valdez. maritime-executive.com/article/oman...

Video of CAROLINE BEZENGI during her lastlast visit to the Baltic in October 2025. Now taking on water and about to break up off the Coast of Oman, loaded with oil. She already appears to be leaking oil. The vessel is ~3/4 the size of Exxon Valdez. maritime-executive.com/article/oman...

Fire of Wildberries Nevinnomyssk captured on Sentinel-2 browser.dataspace.copernicus.eu?zoom=11&lat=...

Russian shadow tanker CAROLINE BEZENGI is breaking up in a nature reserve of the Omani coast. All the beneficiaries whose coasts she passed last year thanks their lucky stars. Odds are against them though, there are about another 1000-1500 running around the world. Tick, tock.

Aaron Brakel@junolocal.bsky.social · 2w ago

Caroline Bengezi, a Russian dark fleet oil tanker is abandoned and aground off the coast of Oman. Say a prayer for the safe recovery of the oil aboard. It’s fully laden but for one tank and is taking on sea water. youtu.be/O--aNQYuF9I?...

Assuming this is: IMO 9263186 (matches recent photos of the vessel) Equasis says: Equatorial Guinea flagged since June. Previously Cameroon (false). AIS broadcast as Cameroon. sketchy.boats/9263186

Kaja Kallas@kajakallas.bsky.social · 2w ago

We’re turning up the pressure on Russia’s shadow fleet. The oil tanker MV SOUTH STAR, suspected of sailing under false flag in breach of international maritime law, has been boarded on 20 July by Operation @EUNAVFOR_MED IRINI forces for flag verification. (1/3)

Equatorial Guinea informs on the reopening of their international ship registry. Over the past months we have seen a sharp rise in shadow fleet vessels flying their flag as they pass through the Danish straits. Raises the question: Were those false flagged? Thx for the ping @tomi-mcc.bsky.social

Boxship SEPELU drifting near Brest. Been going back and forth on "Not under command". Vessel associated with Nora/Nyra/Zyra. Known for weird U-turns. Destination: Kaliningrad.

Christian Panton@pa.nton.cx · 5mo ago

The schedule reveals a new vessel of interest: SEPELU (inferred from other schedules, and by checking port logs). What is interesting, is that SEPELU earlier in the day did a U-turn near the coast of Portugal. Did they forget to turn off the stove?

Swedish cost guard spots SEAL activity.