An SSU Maritime Drone Struck a Tanker Belonging to Russia’s “Shadow Fleet” in the Black Sea

The Security Service of Ukraine targeted a tanker belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet” in the Black Sea using the Mamai maritime drone.

The SSU press service published a video of the strike.

The vessel targeted was the Avero, which is subject to Ukrainian sanctions and is involved in transporting Russian crude oil, particularly to China and India.

A distinctive feature of the Mamai maritime drones is their extremely high speed: they can reach speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour.

The agency noted that this is already the fourth “shadow” Russian tanker targeted by the SSU in the last ten days. All of these vessels belong to the Suezmax class—large ocean-going tankers used to transport significant volumes of crude oil and petroleum products.

According to Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, since May 2026, the registered owner of the tanker has been Zoratyn Crestwave Limited, which was incorporated in Hong Kong in January of that year. Commercial and technical management of the vessel is carried out by Crown Navigation Services FZE, registered in the UAE.

Prior to this, the registered owner of the Avero was the Azerbaijani company Ordo Voyage, while the commercial and ISM manager was Marisyn Fluxhaven, also registered in Azerbaijan. Frequent changes in jurisdictions, registered owners, and operators are a typical practice for vessels in Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

In addition, the SSU’s drones struck three oil depots in the city of Mikhailovsk in Russia’s Stavropol Krai.