Gabon emerges as key player in Russia's shadow shipping fleet
The United States has imposed sanctions on part of Gabon's fleet. Over 100 ships flying the country's flag are estimated to belong to Russia's so-called shadow fleet. Essentially, these are tankers used to circumvent the ban on selling Russian oil for more than $60 per barrel.
To avoid international sanctions that impose a price limit on Russian oil, Russia utilizes over 600 ships flying the flags of third-party countries. For a long time, the core of the "shadow fleet" consisted of ships registered in Liberia. In December 2023, the United States discovered that the company managing the Liberian registry is based in Virginia and pressured the authorities in Monrovia to take action. Within a few weeks, almost all tankers associated with the "shadow fleet" lost the Liberian flag. Currently, only one ship registered there is transporting Russian oil: the Shun Tai, owned by Symi Shipping LTD, which has an office in a shabby building on Broad Street in Monrovia. The United States sanctioned the vessel on January 10th.
The gap left by Liberia was filled by Gabon, located on the Gulf of Guinea, which for years was an important ally of the United States and France. The situation changed after the 2023 coup, in which the Republican Guard ousted President Ali Bongo, who had been in power since 2009. General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema declared himself president and quickly established friendly relations with Russia, similar to other military juntas in Africa.
Gabon "one of Russia's most promising partners"
The Russian foreign ministry currently calls Gabon "one of Russia's most promising partners in Equatorial Africa." Thanks to this cooperation, Gabon now boasts one of the fastest-growing ship registries in the world.
According to the analytic firm Windward, last year Russia transferred at least 85 ships from Liberia to Gabon, with more than 40 operating routes from Russian ports to China, Turkey, and India. Among them was the 600-foot tanker Sappho, which for years sailed under the Liberian flag but has been listed in the Gabon registry since the end of last year.
The shadow fleet and profits for the Kremlin
As of January 10, 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on Gabon, which was previously not on any list of flags considered dangerous by the West. Washington has placed several ships flying the Gabonese flag, which were transporting Russian oil, on the list of restricted vessels.
General Nguema's junta also allows Gabonese companies to be used to purchase sanctioned Western parts, which are used, among other things, in aircraft production. As a result, Russia's trade turnover with Gabon skyrocketed to unprecedented levels within a year, making this African country a key link in Russia's supply chain.
Western countries emphasize that the "shadow fleet" brings the Kremlin multi-billion dollar income; it enables sanctions to be bypassed, employs complex schemes to hide owners, and poses serious environmental security risks.
