US and Ukraine target 1,000-vessel 'dark fleet' smuggling sanctioned oil worldwide

A 1,000-strong "dark fleet" of rogue lipid tankers skirting sanctions has emerged arsenic a caller people for the U.S. and Ukraine, a elder maritime quality expert claims.

Michelle Wiese Bockmann warned the aging fleet poses geopolitical risks and threats of $1 cardinal lipid spills, with the caller U.S. seizures successful Venezuela and Ukrainian drone strikes successful the Black Sea marking a turning constituent for some nations successful their efforts.

"There are astir 1,000 vessels worldwide that are trading sanctioned crude tankers containing sanctioned Iranian, Venezuelan and Russian oil," Bockmann told Fox News Digital.

"These vessels are a lifeline for these regimes, due to the fact that they’re utilized for shipping lipid to money the warfare successful Ukraine, and besides springiness wealth to the illicit Maduro regime," she added.

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U.S. seized the Skipper, a Venezuelan lipid tanker.  ( Planet Labs PBC/Reuters)

"This is simply a brand-new occupation for the U.S., and present Ukraine has signaled they are going to people these vessels the aforesaid way," she said. "There is simply a caller strategy to woody with this acheronian fleet, which is the lifeline of sanctioned lipid revenues, and present nether onslaught by the U.S. and Ukraine. The strategy is each to antagonistic what we telephone gray-zone aggression."

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White House property caput Karoline Leavitt was questioned astir the U.S. seizing an lipid tanker disconnected the seashore of Venezuela. (Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters )

Recent Ukrainian naval drone strikes person disabled respective tankers successful the Black Sea, including the Dashan, portion of Russia’s alleged shadiness fleet that Ukraine says helps Moscow export lipid successful defiance of sanctions, according to Reuters.

"It is unsafe and could beryllium interpreted arsenic a signifier of gray-zone aggression successful bid to proceed to support lipid gross flowing," Bockmann said.

"This is each a billion-dollar lipid spill catastrophe waiting to happen," she added, pointing to the biology and navigational risks posed by poorly maintained, uninsured ships.

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Footage of the Dashan tanker, purportedly portion of the Russian shadiness fleet deed by Ukraine. (Security Service Official/Handout via Reuters)

She said a subset of "about 350 to 400 vessels astatine immoderate 1 clip are not lone sanctioned but falsely flying flags, which is dangerous," due to the fact that mendacious registration leaves vessels stateless and uninsured, putting crews astatine risk.

"This is simply a immense contented for maritime safety, it’s a menace to the environment, and it entails unit welfare," Bockmann said.

These vessels, she said, are typically "elderly" and utilized solely for sanctioned lipid trades. Many besides "manipulate AIS" to amusement they are successful 1 spot erstwhile they are really elsewhere.

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Dashan, a tanker from Russia's shadiness fleet, transits the Bosphorus en way to the Black Sea successful Istanbul. (Yoruk Isik/Reuters)

"They usage mendacious flagging, but also, spoofing and manipulating its AIS to amusement it's successful 1 spot erstwhile it's not. These vessels person besides gone to fraudulent registries that don't exist, which means they person nary insurance," she said. "Their certificates of seaworthiness are invalid, and they person relied connected planetary maritime conventions to person what's called the close of guiltless transition truthful they can't get intercepted."

Bockmann said U.S. forces person utilized ineligible tools including Article 110 of the United Nations Convention connected the Law of the Sea, which allows boarding of stateless vessels, to halt these ships.

"It's my content that they utilized Article 110, and they got connected committee that vessel, and they were perfectly entitled to region that vas from planetary trade," she said.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks during a roundtable gathering connected Antifa with President Donald Trump successful the State Dining Room astatine the White House, connected Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, successful Washington, D.C. (Evan Vucci/AP)

In the Caribbean, U.S. forces precocious seized the tanker Skipper, sanctioned successful 2022 and recovered to beryllium masking its location, nether a national warrant arsenic portion of a broader run to disrupt illicit lipid shipping.

"The caller Venezuelan tanker was carrying 1.8 cardinal barrels of lipid uninsured, truthful that's a billion-dollar maritime catastrophe waiting to happen," Bockmann said.

As reported by Fox News Digital, Dec. 12 saw Attorney General Pam Bondi framework the U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan crude tanker arsenic a sanctions-enforcement enactment rooted successful a national tribunal warrant.

Meanwhile, successful the Black Sea, Ukraine targeted aggregate alleged "shadow fleet" tankers with oversea drones, according to Reuters.

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"The 3 tankers that person been targeted by Ukraine are each successful ballast, which means that they weren't carrying oil," Bockmann said.

"That was cautiously chosen, and they were besides falsely flagged, conscionable similar successful the caller lawsuit of the 3 tankers attacked successful Ukraine. That emblem was Gambia. In the U.S. lawsuit of Skipper, the emblem was Guyana," Bockmann said.

Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.