Odesa Detains Russian ‘Shadow Fleet’ Ship that Exported Ukrainian Grain from Occupied Crimea

In the Port of Odesa, authorities detained and arrested a foreign vessel that was part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and had been illegally transporting Ukrainian grain from temporarily occupied Crimea.

The Security Service of Ukraine reported on this.

SSU officers identified the Russia-controlled cargo ship in Odesa’s commercial port, where it had arrived under the flag of an African country to pick up a shipment of steel pipes.

According to the investigation, the owner of this ship was under NSDC sanctions and, in order to evade the restrictions, regularly changed the vessel’s name and its nominal foreign beneficiaries.

Investigators established that prior to the full-scale invasion, the cargo ship entered Sevastopol at least seven times to illegally export agricultural products in Russia’s interests.

At the end of January 2021, the ship illegally transported nearly 7,000 tons of grain from the Ukrainian peninsula to North Africa.

At the time of the vessel’s detention, the captain and 16 other crew members were on board – all citizens of several Middle Eastern countries.

During the search of the vessel, investigators found voyage plans, pilot cards, mapping materials, and radio communication logbooks containing evidence of illegal entry into ports located in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.

SSU investigators have opened a criminal case under four articles, including financing actions against the constitutional order and state treason.

The vessel has been placed under arrest for subsequent transfer to the National Agency of Ukraine for the Detection, Tracing, and Management of Assets Obtained from Corruption and Other Crimes (ARMA).

The so-called “shadow fleet” is a network of commercial tankers and cargo ships, often sailing under false flags or with concealed ownership, which Russia uses to evade international sanctions, including for the illegal export of oil and other cargo.

In November, the SSU also detained a Russian agent who had been installing relays used for online control of Russian drones and missiles in northern Ukraine.