Suspicious activity is on the rise
Russia-linked tankers ‘going dark’
Shipping analysts Windward see a rise in suspicious activity by Russia-affiliated vessels since start of Ukraine war
“Deceptive shipping practices and dark activity have quickly multiplied” since the start of the Ukraine war, according to maritime data analysts Windward. Oceangoing vessels are obliged to transmit their location through transponder signals at regular intervals. But there are natural gaps in coverage, since the land-based receivers are not always in range, plus some updates can be lost due to "signal collision”, particularly in busy areas. Windward defines “dark activity” as gaps in vessel-tracking data they judge to be suspicious and likely to involve illicit—particularly sanction-breaking—manoeuvres. Since the imposition of sanctions against Russia, Windward has logged an average of 6.3 da
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
