Recent analysis of maritime data reveals that oil tankers are intentionally disabling their tracking systems during voyages between Russian and Georgian ports in the Black Sea, a tactic that experts say helps circumvent international sanctions. The findings, based on a review of vessel movements from 2024 to 2026, highlight a growing trend among ships associated with Moscow’s efforts to maintain oil exports.
Investigators examined 19 tankers that departed from Russian ports and turned off their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) while at sea. Under international maritime law, ships are required to keep these transponders active throughout their journeys. By deactivating them, the vessels effectively vanished from monitoring systems, leaving their routes across the Black Sea unknown.
This practice is commonly employed by what analysts call Russia’s “shadow fleet,” which uses various methods to avoid detection and enforcement of sanctions. A former senior official from Georgia’s Border Police and Coast Guard, who left his post in 2023, reported observing multiple cases where Georgian waters and ports were exploited for sanction evasion. He noted that ships often falsify port data, loiter off the coast, and engage in ship-to-ship oil transfers, raising suspicions about illicit activities.
One notable vessel, a Panama-flagged tanker originally named Anuket Ruby and later renamed Waler, made at least two journeys shipping oil from Russia to Georgia’s Poti port in late 2024 and early 2025. Its transponder was turned off during both trips. In late 2025, Ukraine sanctioned the tanker, accusing it of employing deceptive practices to export Russian oil. The ship is operated by a Turkish company, which did not respond to requests for comment.
Georgia has not joined the sanctions imposed by the European Union and G7 nations following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, Georgian authorities have repeatedly denied that sanctioned oil or petroleum products pass through the country. In a statement, the country’s Revenue Service said it has enhanced controls to prevent any attempts to use Georgia’s customs territory for sanction circumvention. The Maritime Transport Agency added that all vessels entering Georgian ports undergo strict inspections in line with both international and national laws.