Great to work with @en.afp.com to help with their coverage of Maritime Cook Islands and the Cook Islands Registry. Former Royal New Zealand Navy officer @maritimekiwi.bsky.social said some 150 foreign tankers were registered in the Cook Islands at its busiest point in 2024.

At least ten sanctioned vessels... are falsely flying under the flag of Tonga, according to Wellington-based @starboardintelligence.com. @maritimekiwi.bsky.social told RNZ Pacific it would be highly unusual for Tonga to flag oil tankers, given their ship registry closed all the way back in 2002.

According to German news, her U-turn was indeed due to a stern warning by German coast guard. More details here (in Germany only, sorry): www.tagesschau.de/investigativ... #Tavian #shadowfleet

The ADONIA was sanctioned in September by the Foreign Office for conducting illicit trades as part of Russia’s shadow fleet. @maritimekiwi.bsky.social, at the maritime monitoring firm, said this latest sighting showed the need for “continued, persistent monitoring of UK waters”.

The reflagging of the MARINERA was not an isolated incident. It was a part of a growing trend. Starboard analysis has identified 30 sanctioned vessels reflagging to Russia in just the last 2 months. This is a coordinated, state-level absorption of shadow tonnage. Watch the fleet emerge globally:

Iranian navy has pulled out of an exercise taking place now in South Africa, with China, Russia and UAE. Iranian Navy has three ships present including the interesting IRIS Shahid Mahdavi, the container-ship converted into something flatdecked, 'like' a carrier but really not. archive.is/RcUqF

BBC: Oil tanker seized by US spotted in Scotland's Moray Firth (this is BELLA 1/MARINERA (9230880) btw) #OOTT #Tankers #Venezuela #Iran www.bbc.com/news/article...

(Imho) strange BBC rep: UK Def Sec Healey told MPs that the gvmt was "stepping up action on the #ShadowFleet, develpg. further milit. options ➕strengthening co-ordination w/allies". A new legal mechanism they identified "could be applied to any sanctioned vessels not legit'ly flagged." 👉What is new?

Did someone do something? Infamous zombie-tanker ARCUSAT/TAVIAN/TIA just made a 180° turn halfway through Danish Straits and is doing max speed towards North Sea. Being a stateless ship any navy is in their full right to stop her anywhere. She has been in news during week with demands for action.

Now tracking 49 tankers that have recently begun transmitting the Russian flag on AIS. Unsurprisingly the majority are sanctioned. They’re now on the move globally, including 4 about to travel north around the Irish and UK Isles. @joshcheetham.bsky.social @conorgallagher.bsky.social

Grateful to @telegraph.co.uk for citing our work tracking these tankers. “The exact courses and destinations of the tankers are unknown but satellite imagery by Starboard Maritime Intelligence showed them heading towards either Africa or Europe.” www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...

Wake up honey, the latest false registry from the Bangladesh-Marinegov crew just dropped! zimbabweshipregistry.org aka zimbabweship.com aka zimship.org The two latter are fallback domains, once the first hosting domain gets zapped.

@vesselspotter.bsky.social doing god’s work correcting the mis-use of this image in relation to the widely reported but seemingly unconfirmed attack in the Black Sea yesterday.

New analysis of China’s ‘Q-ship’ with containerised weapons -> www.hisutton.com/Chinese-Q-Sh... It’s not what many people think. * history of containerized weapons on merchant ships * the drone carrier angle * the implications for a potential war in Asia

Happy to be working with @conorgallagher.bsky.social and @irishtimes.com to track MARINERA as she approaches the Irish EEZ. “Satellite data provided by the analysis company @starboardintelligence.com, showed the Marinera sailing at speed northeast across the Atlantic on Friday afternoon”

Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant

⚓️ This legal analysis came out after the EAGLE S anchor-dragging case failed last year because the Helsinki District Court ruled it lacked jurisdiction over an incident that occurred outside Finnish territorial waters. Now, with the current FITBURG anchor-dragging case, it might prove very useful!

#China #Illegal fishing vessel captured off #Somalia #Puntland Liao Dong Yu 578 #LiaoDongYu578 @maritimekiwi.bsky.social #IllegalUnreportedUnregulated #IUU #MaritimeExecutive maritime-executive.com/article/repo...

#Palau terminates shady #ShipRegistry operator International Shipping Bureau Management Ltd. (IML) #InternationalShippingBureauManagement #IML #IslandTimes islandtimes.org/palau-termin...

BELLA 1 (9230880) now Russian-flagged as MARINERA (MMSI 273276460). She’s on AIS and showing a location North West of the Azores - if I had to guess she’s heading to her new homeland. @starboardintelligence.com users can find her at app.starboard.nz/link/x9vg9mi...

The runaway tanker BELLA 1 has officially rebranded as MARINERA in Russia’s shipping registry. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/u...

By our estimates, #Venezuela still has about a month's capacity of empty tankers to fill with oil before it needs to cut back on production. Contrary to some news reports, we see no signs of production cuts. PDVSA has been busily loading empty #tankers since blockade began. #OOTT

Today, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is issuing sanctions against 10 individuals and entities connected to Iran-Venezuela weapons trading. Iran’s ongoing provision of conventional weapons to Caracas constitutes a threat to U.S. interests. home.treasury.gov/news/press-r...

From the team that brought you a container vessel fitted out with VLS and associated kit. They’re creating a targeting problem, but equally making a range of civilian equipment a target…

If anyone has approximate coordinates for those exercise areas that they’re willing to share that would be super.

Great to work with Weilun Soon from Bloomberg on their coverage of the US actions off Venezuela “While the US has sanctioned numerous vessels and organizations, it hasn’t stemmed the flow. Physical boarding is the next step,” said @maritimekiwi.bsky.social from @starboardintelligence.com.

China is preparing to to load at least 6 large stealthy UAVs, likely UCAVs (combat types) onto the Type-076 Yulan class assault carrier in Shanghai. This is next to the Q-ship demonstrator (3rd image) with containerized weapon so expect some form of exhibition

Right, I am off work (yes some of us "soldiered" on during Christmas), so got some time to put down coherent thoughts on a range of events. First of all, the Trumpian battleship. Which as part of Trump's "Golden Fleet" even got its (her) own website. 🧵 www.goldenfleet.navy.mil

The armed container ship is often discussed. This is interesting for the lack of subtlety. If you can hide all those systems and then spring them on the enemy, Q ship style, it is a notable advancement. Otherwise it looks like a slow target with some ability to shoot back. Any other thoughts?

A chose a week to try and step away from ship spotting to enjoy the holidays. That @shipwreck75.bsky.social, @tankertrackers.com et al for making it easy to stay up-to-date

Ukraine has struck a Russian FSB Pr. 22460 Rubin-class patrol boat. Second pic for ref, 3rd showing 3M47 Gibka air defence system visible in first image.

BREAKING: We have visual confirmation of a VLCC supertanker laden with at least 1.8 million barrels of crude oil departing #Venezuela today. Accompanied by possible VE Navy escort. The VLCC is not blacklisted by US OFAC even though she has violated VE sanctions since 2020. #OOTT

An effect of Ukraine's drone attacks on #shadowfleet tankers? Most recent flag changes in this fleet were no longer to Cameroon, but Russia. Ukraine focused its attacks on #flagless. Would flying a Russian flag keep Ukraine from making those vessels a target? What do you think?

Swedish navy confirms presence of Russian military staff on shadow fleet tankers in Baltic Sea. Further states that RU navy vessels have increased presence and believes it is partly to protect the shadow fleet. www.svt.se/nyheter/inri...

It is really amazing the SBU snuck a new underwater weapon into Novorossiysk, yes, but perhaps what is equally amazing is the placement or access of the camera which recorded the event. It means they could have had access for a good long while and burned the source for this. This was top notch.

Thailand’s NSC resolved… to block all shipments of fuel and warfare-related supplies to Cambodia NSC secretary-general Chatchai Bangchuat said the Thai MECC would coordinate a blockade of seaborne supplies with the relevant organisations. www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/gen...

Drone strikes in the Black Sea and vessel seizures in the Caribbean: states are testing jurisdiction against "stateless" vessels. @maritimekiwi.bsky.social co-authored this important piece with NU Singapore's Dr Trung Nguyen for @opiniojuris.bsky.social. opiniojuris.org/2025/12/15/b...

I'm not sure how I missed seeing these before. Amazing work from the ONI team www.oni.navy.mil/ONI-Reports/...

Amazing story of how German journalism students tracked thousands of drones over military bases and airports to ships linked to Russia -- using drones of their own:-Henk van Ess on Substack www.digitaldigging.org/p/they-drone...

USAF HH-60Ws from Kadena Air Base in Japan were off loaded in Puerto Rico today. USAF HH-60W helicopters are used to rescue pilots in hostile places.-Reuters No need for these in counter drug ops….

"U.S. officials said they expected additional seizures [of tankers] in the coming weeks as part of the administration’s efforts to weaken Mr. Maduro’s government by undermining its oil market."-NYT

When you thought the Ukrainians striking a tanker in the Black Sea was going to be the most exciting thing to happen today... www.reuters.com/world/americ...

SBU’s “Sea Baby” struck the 🇷🇺 “shadow fleet” tanker Dashan in the Black Sea. The vessel, under the Comoros flag, was moving through Ukraine’s exclusive economic zone toward Novorossiysk. As a result of the attack, the tanker sustained critical damage. Reports indicate the ship has been disabled.

@mattnippert.bsky.social’s full report, including in interview he recorded with me earlier in the year, is now available. Well worth a read!

Oustanding non-physical fire with effect! Vital reading crackingdefence.substack.com/p/a-cynics-g...

New images from Vantor: thenightly.com.au/politics/new...

Busy week! But the best part about working at @starboardintelligence.com is the ability to bring together commercial and OSINT to show this kind of activity, and then be able to talk about it to the public - and on social media. Let me know what you think of our assessment of the vessel types!

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrived in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, for a scheduled port visit, Dec. 1, 2025. Port visits usually last 4 days to allow each duty section to get 3 days off. Likely means no actions until later this week at earliest.

Stage 4 Sanctions Evasion: Russia will provide a flag for your ship. IMO 9293002, the artist previously known as JAGUAR, ARGENT or BLINT now has a new name and flag: NASLEDIE of Russia. IMO 9321706 also recently switched to team Russia.

Two significant takeaways from this: - done in broad daylight - done out of range and relative safety of Russian Navy & air power To compensate Russia would need to devote security teams to every tanker – which even then is no magic cure – at a time when they have manpower issues. Smart tactics.