Ship managers in India, the UAE, Hong Kong, and China are leading the charge in the profitable trade of Russian oil despite international sanctions. This article identifies the 10 key companies with dark fleets involved in the high risk, high reward operations.

The active list of organizations and dark ships involved in the trade of sanctioned Russian oil has continuously changed since the beginning of 2022 - including Gatik, one of the most recognized names in dark shipping today.

International sanctions on Russia have led to a massive uptick in dark ship-to-ship transfers at sea - most often involving ships moving Russian oil.

UK officials believe that AIS spoofers intentionally manipulated AIS tracks to form a Russian Military "Z" in the Black Sea - a pro-war symbol used by the Russian military that has now been appropriated by pro-Putin civilians. Officials believe that the spoofing incident was used as a moral-boosting tactic amidst the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

As the global dark fleet grows amidst restrictions on Russian oil, vessel safety is becoming a primary cause for concern. Local maritime authorities in China are now carrying out enhanced safety inspections on vessels more than 15 years old after two vessels, one of which was carrying Russian oil, had trouble offloading cargo at the port of Qingdao.

Countries are calling for increased monitoring and action against illicit ship-to-ship oil transfers at sea as fears grow over environmental ramifications. Unregulated oil transfers undermine international maritime law and threaten global efforts to mitigate shipping pollution.

Sea Shepherd signs noteworthy memorandum with the government of Tuvalu, vowing to send a ship to the island nation to support authorities with IUU fishing tasks.

Controversy ensues over EU-flagged fishing vessels breaching international and EU flag laws by going dark while in operation, particularly in the Indian Ocean.

At least 16 vessels from Iran's ghost fleet have moved to Russian crude, as the premium on Russian trade soars to around 150% of normal market rates.

The fleet of oil tankers operating as dark ships to trade Russian oil continues to grow, with estimates showing approximately 20% of the global fleet shifting from mainstream trades to Russian oil.

The new technology developed by Reutech can passively detect dark ships not transmitting radar or AIS data, unlike traditional radars that need an active signal to identify.

Researchers identify area in Qatar where an oil spill could disrupt an already volatile energy supply chain. Over 20% of the global LNG supply is shipped from a single port on the country's peninsula.

The shipping industry is still far from finding a "true" green fuel solution on the journey to decarbonization. With maritime trade accounting for around 3% of the world's carbon emissions, the time for change is now.

The results from one of IMOs latest surveys shows that many in the industry lack knowledge on the issue of flag hopping and other illicit activity that threatens the integrity of the maritime industry as a whole.

Barbados continues to remain a target of flag-hopping dark fleets, particularly from Iranian-linked organizations.

The dark fleets responsible for the majority of Russian sanctions circumvention may be growing, according to numerous sources. Cargo includes everything from sanctioned oil to weapons - providing additional strength and resources to powerful Russian forces.

After an aggressive end to 2022, China seems to be releasing pressure in their push for the South China Sea. All of this happening as Quad buckles in to gain full control in the Indo-Pacific region.

Russia continues to find new ports and open ocean locations to make port calls and STS transfers for the continued trade of Russian oil, despite harsh international sanctions.

Authorities in the Mekong Delta are strategizing and executing to minimize IUU fishing in the region. The efforts come alongside the 'yellow card' warning given by the European Commission for Vietnam's lack of ethical seafood exports.

Although western authorities have capped Russian oil exports at $60, Russia's dark shipping fleets are running at a greater capacity than ever - keeping western efforts to cripple Russian exports at bay.