Italian Forces Board Falsely-Flagged Shadow Fleet Tanker
A European naval task force has intercepted and briefly boarded a Russian-linked shadow fleet tanker in the Mediterranean, the latest in a series of EU operations designed to challenge Russia's sanctions evasion practices. The operation does not appear to have impacted the tanker's itinerary.
On Sunday morning, Italian frigate Thaon di Revel - the flagship of EUNAVFOR Med Irini, the EU naval mission in the Mediterranean - intercepted Toa Payoh at a position southwest of Sicily. The tanker's master did not cooperate with a request to stop for flag verification, so the Italian warship dispatched a helicopter to deliver a boarding team. They gathered evidence from aboard the ship and departed, allowing the vessel to continue her commercial voyage. An official familiar with the operation told Reuters that EUNAVFOR does not operate with the authority to detain shadow fleet tankers.
Toa Payoh is a 51,000 dwt product tanker, owned anonymously and sanctioned by the EU. She was previously a member of the Fractal Marine fleet, one of the earliest players in the Russian shadow fleet game.
The tanker currently claims to be flagged in Cameroon, which no longer has a flag registry due to frequent fraudulent registrations. Previously, Toa Payoh has falsely claimed to be registered in both Madagascar and Guinea, which do not have international shipping registries either.
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In addition to AIS-dark transits into the Black Sea, consistent with the Russian oil trade, Thaon di Revel has recently been active in the vicinity of Hormuz. In February, she called at the anchorage off Khor Fakkan, then headed northeastward towards Iranian waters before turning off her AIS. It is not uncommon for sanctioned tankers to deal with multiple "sensitive" sources of petroleum.
As of Monday morning, Toa Payoh continued her commercial voyage off the coast of Misrata, Libya, making way and heading for the Turkish Straits.
