"India's seizure of shadow fleet tankers" Topic

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Did Trump just win the war for Ukraine?

His tariff deal with Indian led to the seizure of three tankers. Will the rest follow? and does that cripple Russia?

I lack the expertise to evaluate this, but hope it comes to pass.

Thoughts?

I thought the war on Russia's shadow fleet was one of the best things Trumps administration has done, as well as the pressure on other nations to stop buying Russian oil.
Even a blind squirrel finds the occasional nut, of course, but credit due in this case.

Didn't the E.U./France seize one in the Caribbean too?

India just seized three tankers of the "shadow fleet" carrying Russian oil. The US has seized, how many? Has any other nation seized any? And how many ships are estimated to be in the "shadow fleet"?

Here's the most recent, verified picture of seizures of "shadow fleet" tankers (vessels used to carry sanctioned oil, especially Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan crude) and estimates of the overall fleet size:

🇮🇳 India's Seizure

India's coastal authorities seized three tankers this month that were U.S.-sanctioned (linked to Iranian oil smuggling) and considered part of the broader "shadow fleet."

🇺🇸 U.S. Seizures and Interdictions

The United States has seized at least one major Russian-flagged tanker (the Marinera, formerly Bella-1) following pursuit across the Atlantic.

U.S. forces have also intercepted or boarded additional vessels in 2026 (such as the Aquila II and Veronica III) connected to sanctioned oil shipments, though not all ended in formal legal "seizures" yet.

Altantic Council reporting suggests the U.S. has seized at least ~7 vessels linked to shadow fleet activity, including older enforcement efforts tied to Venezuelan oil sanctions.

So, the concrete number of U.S. seizures is at least 1 – 7, depending on how broadly you count enforcement actions versus formal seizures processed in U.S. courts.

📌 Other Nations

France and other European navies have detained or intercepted "shadow fleet" tankers in the Mediterranean.

Germany and Estonia have seized or detained vessels suspected of shadow-fleet activity in prior years.

These are fewer and generally smaller scale compared to recent U.S. and Indian actions.

🛳 Estimated Size of the Shadow Fleet

Estimates vary, but multiple sources put the global shadow fleet at a very large scale:

About 900 – 1,500 tankers worldwide are considered part of the "shadow fleet" or dark fleet moving sanctioned oil.

Wikipedia estimates around 1,100 – 1,400 vessels (across oil tankers and other ships) associated with Russia's shadow transport network.

Earlier figures (e.g., 2022 baseline) described ~600 vessels, but this has grown significantly since sanctions were imposed.

In summary:

🇮🇳 India seized 3 shadow fleet tankers.

🇺🇸 The U.S. has seized at least one major tanker and possibly up to ~7 vessels connected with shadow oil shipping, with additional interdictions under way.

🇪🇺 Other nations (EU states) have also detained or seized some vessels in previous crackdowns.

🌍 The shadow fleet is estimated to include roughly 900–1,500 ships globally.

Let me know if you'd like a timeline of these seizures or a concise table of which vessels were seized by whom!

You have to be careful here. The US seized tankers containing Iranian and Venezuelan origin oil. Both of which are subject to US recognized sanctions. To this point the US hasn't seized any tankers containing Russian oil.

Because a ship is "flagged" under a certain country doesn't mean that the country is aware of how the vessel is being used. You file paperwork and pay the fees and your ship is then flagged under that country.

Remember, President Trumps overarching strategy is to end the war in the Ukraine, but more importantly, pry Russia away from China, our real adversary.

The tanker, which flew the Russian flag and was seized by the US, had no oil on board, as it had been denied entry to Venezuela by US forces for several days. But then it turned around and attempted to leave, with American ships pursuing it. The Russians demonstratively sent ships to its defense (as they claimed), but took no real action. A very strange situation… Trump claimed to be unloading oil from this tanker… BUT was the tanker really carrying oil to Venezuela? Unlikely… It was either carrying some secret cargo to that country, or, conversely, it took on some cargo at sea and attempted to leave, but was seized.
All Russian or suspected vessels detained by the Baltic states and the French, which allegedly belonged to the "shadow fleet," were released without any real charges. They committed no real violation of maritime law. These were simply illegal attempts to pressure Russia, as well as attempts to blockade Russia's European enclave in Europe—the Kaliningrad region—from supplies from Russia. Essentially, this is an act of war.
And by the way, what does "shadow fleet" mean? What laws provide a legal definition of it? As far as I know, there are no such laws, and this is simply arbitrary. But now a precedent has been set, and anyone who feels they have the power will stop foreign ships at their own discretion…

StoneMtnMinis – China has been cut off from Venezuelan oil supplies, and its Iranian supplies are at risk… I wonder who China will turn to for such supplies? So far, the opposite has been true – China and Russia will simply be forced to move closer together… They have no choice.

Yep, the tanker was carrying oil to Venezuela. It was full of light crude and/or Olefins as a diluent for the Heavy Sour Crude produced by Venezuela. I think a refinery in East Texas/Louisiana bought it at a discount, which helped their margins for the month.

Oh… Thanks! I hadn't previously been interested in the differences between oil grades and the specifics of their production and refining. I have just read the relevant article. It's interesting.
Now I understand the tanker's actions…

So, is this piracy or privateering?
I had a thread recently deleted for "politics" when I suggested that a Congressional declaration of war would be, at the very least, "nice".
Does the United States Navy still recognize Prize Money for aggressive skippers?

Seriously. Just WHO has the authority to declare ships and cargo on the High Seas worthy of seizure?
If Burundi had a navy, could they join in the game?

Did Trump just win the war for Ukraine?

That is part of the bigger picture/grand strategy AFAIK. Of cutting of oil supplies to Russia and even China. It appears we are in a de facto "economic" conflict with both of them. And a few other nations for that matter.

OVI +1

So, is this piracy or privateering?

Ah … maybe ? But the 21st Century version/or piracy 2.0 so to speak. Shall we call on the RN/RM to battle these "pirates"? Oh, wait this is the 21st Century … never mind …

Does the United States Navy still recognize Prize Money for aggressive skippers?

No of course not old boy … this is the 21st Century. Really … do keep up …

If Burundi had a navy, could they join in the game?

I'd imagine that could … But like the Somali pirates they just found a way legally or most illegally to come to America. And take US $ directly. Easier than that whole piracy thing.🏴‍☠️ 🤩😃😎

As far as I know it is illegal to seize ships in international waters. When North Korea seized the Pueblo that was an illegal act. The point was raised with the attacks on drug boats recently. But, I could be wrong.

Well again, it is more about who the POTUS is vs. what other POTUSs did. But we talked about this before, e.g. Obama used a lot of drone strikes, etc. to kill islamic terrorists. And very few complained.

The problem is that a precedent has been created that has not been legally challenged by anyone. This means that such a practice will become widespread.
There are no longer any rules. And Somali pirates simply detain ships within the framework of their own tribal legislation)))

Are the Sami pirates still in business? If the world just blew them out of the water instead of letting them hijack ships. I'd think that problem would be solved or at least severely attrited. Yes, yes, we had this discussion about maritime law, etc., etc. before.

But you may walk softly and carry a big stick. But sometimes the stick has to be used effectively and efficiently. E.g. as we see in Iran. We showed the Big Stick. E.g. two USN CVN TFs and many forward deployed USAF aircraft. They still don't want to make a deal. Even if they saw what the US and IDF can do. When we took out the nuclear facilities etc.

Seems they didn't learn their lesson. They may have to be schooled again. With TLAMs, drones, air strikes, etc.

The same paradigm exists with the remaining, if any Sami pirates.

Peace Thru Strength … but sometimes that strength has to be used to "fix" a problem. Especially with a situation that is reoccurring … E.g. Iran's theocratic islamists regime …