10 “shadow fleet” tankers awaiting icebreakers in the Kara Sea are likely carrying oil from Russia’s Arctic fields

A group of sanctioned Russian tankers, along with four cargo ships, are currently drifting in the Kara Sea while waiting for nuclear-powered icebreakers to escort them along the Northern Sea Route, according to a report by The Barents Observer. The outlet said that if the vessels indeed travel together, it would be the largest convoy ever to use the route.

The outlet said the tankers are most likely carrying oil produced at Russia’s Arctic fields. Among the vessels currently waiting in the Kara Sea, The Barents Observer identified the oil tankers Jupiter (IMO 9397535), Vostochny Prospect (IMO 9866392) and Saga (IMO 9318553). According to vessel-tracking data, the nuclear icebreaker Sibir was in the eastern Kara Sea in early August, while the icebreakers Ural and Yakutia were in the East Siberian Sea.

After reviewing data from the vessel tracking platform Starboard Maritime Intelligence, The Insider found that, in addition to those vessels, the following tankers were also located close to one another in the Kara Sea: Pamir (IMO 9276028), NP Dikson (IMO 9255270), Hyperion (IMO 9322968), Liteyny Prospect (IMO 9256078), Ligovsky Prospect (IMO 9256066), Viktor Bakaev (IMO 9610810) and Jagger (IMO 9354301).