Russia's Shadow Fleet of LNG Tankers Nearly Doubles Amid Sanctions

Russia has nearly doubled its 'shadow fleet' of tankers used to export liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to Bloomberg analysts. The number of such vessels has increased from 11 in December 2025 to at least 20 today.

The majority of these tankers are owned by companies with opaque ownership structures, a characteristic feature of the 'shadow fleet' used to circumvent international sanctions.

The latest addition to this fleet is the icebreaker-class tanker Konstantin Posyet, built at the Zvezda shipyard in the Far East. This vessel can navigate Arctic waters year-round and was recently involved in loading over 70 thousand tons of LNG from the Arctic LNG 2 plant.