The Baltic Guard was blinded by the Sun. The Aframax Sun, carrying Russian oil, passed through the Baltic Sea into the Mediterranean Sea

The Benin-flagged Aframax Sun (IMO 929317) is the latest Russian tanker to sail the entire Baltic Sea and through the Danish Straits. Bypassing Albion and Ireland to the north, it bypasses the English Channel and transports crude oil from Russian Baltic ports to well-known customers. The oil is pumped between ships at anchorages or in ports.

Russian crude oil also reaches refineries, from which products are shipped to the local market or to other countries, including customers in the European Union. During the Northern Coasts 2025 exercise, the Benin-flagged tanker sailed the Baltic Sea along the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone.

The vessel skirted the British Isles to the east and north, then Ireland to the west, passed Gibraltar, and reached the Mediterranean Sea. Windward Observers keep abreast of the Shadow Fleet’s movements and report on any more spectacular ship movements.

The route of the aframax tanker Sun from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. Source: Windword AI

Smugglers’ Trail

“The tanker Sun is subject to sanctions by both the EU and the UK,” Windword reminds, noting that the vessel “is flying a false Benin flag.” This makes the vessel’s insurance unenforceable in the event of any catastrophe, “if the tanker carries it, necessitating additional oversight when the vessel is operating in Northwest European waters.”

Last month, the Sun took a longer route along the French and Irish economic zones, bypassing the UK, and reached the Primorsk fuel terminal at the Primorsk oil terminal in early August. After receiving a cargo of Urals crude oil in Russia around August 25th, the Sun again took a longer route to avoid the English Channel, Windword analysts determined.

The Sun’s captain is choosing his route so that he “spends minimal time in UK territorial waters.” Shadow fleet vessels strive to minimize transit time through territorial waters. Every vessel entering UK-governed waters must inform the Coast Guard of its current insurance. A request for relevant documents is sent to the vessel via radio, requesting proof of insurance. Similar efforts are also underway in EU waters.

Windword’s expert emphasizes that “This unusual ship route comes as ‘false flag’ vessels are testing the resolve of European and British governments to continue trading unimpeded.” It’s worth noting that, according to experts, the shadow fleet already numbers over 2,130 vessels, primarily tankers. A significant portion of these vessels also sail in the territorial waters and exclusive economic zones of European Union member states.

Shadow Fleet. Source: Windword AI

Although the Sun and other false flag vessels are effectively stateless, they operate in territorial waters, invoking the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the right of free access. This allows the ship’s captain to avoid prohibition and inspection.

It turns out that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which has been in force for over 40 years, has significant loopholes that hinder the fight against shadow fleets and the threat of ecological catastrophe. We wrote about UNCLOS here.

Tanker Sun. Mediterranean Sea. Position 07-09-2025 12:00. Source: https://www.marinetraffic.com

Black tanker with false flag

Windward AI shows that Sun first began reporting that it had flown the (false) Benin flag on July 2nd of this year, while in the Sea of ​​Marmara. This occurred after it was stripped of its registry privileges by its previous flag, the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping (ADOMS). The administration reports that “Antigua and Barbuda currently operates a fully fledged international shipping registry, with nearly 1,400 vessels registered, totaling over 11 million gross tons.”

The vessel shifted position and sailed in Turkish waters for most of June after being placed under EU sanctions on May 21. The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the tanker on July 22. The tanker’s captain then took it into the Aegean Sea. It was tracked by Windword in these and surrounding waters. According to Sun ship tracking data, it spent 22 days in Greek territorial waters from July 5th. It then sailed north to the Dardanelles, abruptly changing direction and heading west through the Mediterranean Sea towards Primorsk, according to data collected by Windword AI.

Tanker Sun. Red Sea. Position 16-09-2025 12:00. Source: https://www.marinetraffic.com

– The RN/UKCG should board and detain such vessels while sailing through the UK’s exclusive economic zone. The cargo and hull should be confiscated and auctioned (for scrap if necessary). These vessels are not engaged in innocent passage, urges Duncan McGregor, Head of Legal, Urban Chain, on social media.

Even before the sanctions were imposed, the Sun was identified by Windward as a “high-risk” vessel and placed on the shadow fleet list in November 2023. “Since being sanctioned, tanker journeys have become longer and more complicated,” notes Michelle Wiese Bockmann, maritime intelligence analyst at Lloyds List, who reported on Windward’s findings.

This tanker illustrates how the movement of Russia-linked shadow fleet vessels is changing. Once again, the sanctions imposed by EU countries prove ineffective. There is virtually no chance of any inspection or prohibition of passage through territorial waters. More and more shadow fleet vessels are passing by the guard. coastal and false flag ships.