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 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...

@auonsson.bsky.social @pa.nton.cx @claudialanz.bsky.social

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-...

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-...

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...

well worth a read via Google translate, Jakob does great work on the shadow fleet in the Baltic

🚢 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

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!

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...

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

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.

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!

The rise of the dark fleet has evolved into a global compliance challenge. Windward’s @michellewb.bsky.social, featured in @economist.com, shares how deceptive tactics went “on steroids” after 2022.

another geopolitical ripple in the tanker/oil markets from the FT www.ft.com/content/b97e...

here's the next @windward-ai.bsky.social Ship of the Day from our series telling the stories of the dark fleet one tanker at a time....

More info in my latest piece here: nyheder.tv2.dk/udland/2025-...

adding more to this Ship of the Day given Boracay's strange AIS tracking 28/29 Sept which allegedly now place it off France.

Watching this with interest

The @windward-ai.bksy.social "Ship of the Day" is topical as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's accuses Russia of using the dark fleet to carry out drone attacks targeting cities across Europe. Boracay changed name and flag approximately ~10 hours before drone attack on Copenhagen airport

follow @windward-ai.bsky.social for our Ship of the Day series which tells the story of the dark fleet one tanker at a time. today's vessel is below

yet another false flag found -- the Maldives. adding to my list of 12 other registries that are being used by tankers (most sanctioned)...

Greek-owned tankers shipped 16% of all Russian crude over August, with EU & UK introduction of a lower price cap this month now sidelining any further involvement. Based on Windward/Vortexa data. windward.ai/blog/greek-t...

just what is this sanctioned, false-flag ship doing?

The Heng Yang 9 has been spotted making an unprecedented series of stops at Sevastopol, which has been under western sanctions since 2014 on.ft.com/4gHNelU

After a couple of days stopover in French territorial waters, false flagged VELON 1 continues its journey.

The government of Comoros has begun a clean-out of its international flag registry which has been central to sanctions-circumventing dark fleet tankers shipping Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan oil. read more on @windward-ai.bsky.social blog! windward.ai/blog/comoros...

On the 1291th day since Russia attacked Ukraine: Greek shipping giant Andreas Martinos owned, Malta flag Minerva Joy transited Bosphorus on Sept7 carrying jet fuel from Novatek’s Ust Luga condensate splitter to Istanbul Grand Airport. In2025, Novatek was the only non-Turkish jetfuel supplier to IGA

1/ The Russian Black Sea Fleet is reportedly in a "systemic crisis" due to manpower problems, a recruitment campaign that is mainly attracting "chronic alcoholics and drug addicts", and ongoing systemic corruption involving stealing repair funds for unseaworthy ships. ⬇️

False flagged MONTE 1 entering the Baltic. This marks the 50th ship to transit the Baltic after NB8++ statement, that false flagged ships "are not entitled to rights under [UNCLOS], including freedom of navigation". Apparently they still enjoy those rights. 🔥 sketchy.boats/9297553

I broke the story on Ro Marine, the "Norwegian" marine insurer that turned out to be a Russian front a while back & fall-out continues as a Russian, two Norwegians and a Bulgarian now face charges in Oslo. This brilliant investigation from from Stian Espeland www.nrk.no/vestland/xl/...

@windward-ai.bsky.social welcome to Windward to Bluesky!

‼️ On Sept. 7, 🇩🇪 police special forces stopped the freighter #Scanlark in the Kiel Canal, boarded the ship and inspected the crew for alleged espionage and sabotage. It’s suspected of having served as a base for drone flights over critical infrastructure and naval vessels in northern Germany. 1/

worth a read. not so much for the salacious details about his private life, but for soliciting companies to sit tests related to his seafaring qualifications, rendering certification invalid.

P&O Ferries pantomime villain Peter Hebblethwaite resigns to "spend more time with his family". www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

everything you need to know from an academic and legal perspective about false flag ships from the very best: Professor George Theocharidis, professor of maritime law and policy at Sweden's World Maritime University. I interviewed him for Windward's Trade Sense. youtube.com/watch?v=OCTn...

I’m excited to be moderating an incredible panel at Windward Academy London 2025. We’ll be diving deep into maritime regulatory trends, risks, sanctions, and how AI is transforming workflows. If want to connect with some of the industry’s sharpest minds please register go.wnwd.com/windward-aca...

free to read update on how GPS jamming is affecting shipping including breakdown at four major GPS hotspots -- three in Russia and one in Red Sea of Sudan. Such greyzone aggression is major navigational hazard GPS jamming affected nearly 2,000 ships in the past 30 days windward.ai/blog/new-gps...

Egypt’s state grain buyer Mostakbal Misr managed to place a French wheat order for the 1st time but delivery interrupted due to letter of credit problems: Meanwhile Russia flag bulker Matros Pozynich transited Bosphorus en route from occupied Sevastopol to Alexandria carrying 27000mt of stolen wheat

Russia’s uncertain relationship with the new Syrian regime. Grain smugglers using falsified manifests are back to Syria: Comoros flag Damas Wave transited Bosphorus en route from occupied Feodosia to Tartus carrying stolen wheat.

We need to talk more about what’s going on near Riau archipelago and what’s (not) being done about this significant hazard to maritime safety, security and the environment. This epicentre of maritime lawlessness is on Singapore/Malaysia/Indonesia's doorstep. Free to read. windward.ai/blog/the-epi...

The Panama Maritime Authority said Saturday it will no longer flag bulk carriers & tankers aged over 15 years, reshaping global flag registration. the policy may shift sub-standard dark fleet tonnage toward flags with weaker oversight but those registries also increasingly targeted. free-to-read

Yesterday Fractal Shipping's Mathieu Phillipe was sanctioned by OFAC. Here's my back story about how he was the 1st dark fleet operator to threaten to sue for defamation over my dark fleet coverage. This set off chain of interesting events connected to John Ormerod www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

False-flagged HU PO under the Great Belt Bridge. Yes, that is a rotor sail, installed by the previous owner Mærsk

who is the mystery flag registry sanctioned by the EU? Gabon. Intershipping Services in UAE that manages it on its behalf. plus some other interesting companies that turned up including the master of the flagless tanker Jaguar/Argent that refused to be directed into Estonian waters