Russian ghost ships in the Channel

At least two sanctioned Russian ships currently sailing through the English Channel are among at least 50 suspected shadow tankers to have closed in on UK waters in the past three days, The i Paper can reveal.

A day after British forces helped the US seize a runaway Russian tanker, Bella 1, just over 100 miles from UK waters north-west of Scotland, another “zombie” vessel sailed through the Channel under a false name. It was sanctioned by the US in 2024 while carrying the name Tia. It now uses a fake name – Tavian – to evade detection while carrying oil across the globe, providing a huge income source for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

It was followed into the Channel on Thursday by the Aria, sailing under the Barbados flag, and sanctioned by the US in January last year. The ship is similarly suspected of enabling illicit Russian oil trades.

The maritime data indicates that many more sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tankers will continue to pass through the English Channel.

There are Russian ghost ships in the Channel and the UK is surrounded by 50 more