Russia Expands Shadow LNG Fleet to Bypass EU Sanctions

Russia is rapidly expanding its LNG tanker fleet to evade EU sanctions set to take effect in January 2027.

The country has acquired eight new vessels over the past six months, with two built at the Zvezda shipyard and six purchased second-hand from other countries.

The expanded fleet includes 25 shadow LNG tankers, which are owned by companies tied to Russia and registered in jurisdictions such as Dubai, Hong Kong, or Singapore. These vessels engage in practices like signal jamming and ship-to-ship cargo transfers to conceal the origin of their cargo.

Russia's war economy heavily relies on revenues from European LNG sales, with a record volume of 9.89 million tonnes of liquefied gas exported to EU countries in the first half of this year, an annual increase of almost 20 percent.