Key facts
- Europe is boarding tankers falsely using Cameroon's flag to transport Russian oil.
- The EU expanded its naval mission's mandate to stop, board, and detain suspect vessels.
- Cameroon has de-listed 39 vessels from its registry due to fraudulent use of its flag.
- Several tankers were found to be using fraudulent Cameroonian registration after being inspected.
- The EU plans further sanctions in July targeting Russia's shadow fleet.
Europe is intensifying its crackdown on tankers illicitly using Cameroon's flag registry to transport Russian oil, with naval forces now boarding vessels at sea. This action has prompted Cameroon to remove 39 such ships from its registry, acknowledging the misuse of its flag by a "shadow fleet" of older, uninsured vessels used to circumvent sanctions.
The European Union expanded the mandate of its Mediterranean naval mission, Operation IRINI, on June 8 to allow for the stopping, boarding, detention, and inspection of ships suspected of involvement with Russia's shadow fleet. Three tankers—the Nelsa, Oneiroi, and Sandhya—were recently boarded and found to be operating under fraudulent Cameroonian registration, according to European military sources. Since early 2026, nine other ships, including five flagged in Cameroon, have been seized by French, Belgian, British, and Swedish navies.
Cameroon's government has acknowledged the misuse of its registry, stating in a letter to the UN shipping agency that several vessels were unlawfully operating under its flag and that fraudulent websites were used to assign the country's flag. As a result, 39 ships have been de-listed. The central African nation has become a significant conduit for fraudulent shipping, leading the United Arab Emirates to bar Cameroon-flagged ships without top-tier safety certification from its ports in 2024.
Cameroon's transport ministry stated it is cooperating with international authorities to enforce maritime rules and protect its registry's credibility, adding it cannot be held responsible for vessels after de-registration. The French navy recently detained the Deliver, a tanker found sailing under a Cameroonian flag near Sicily despite having been removed from the country's registry.
In preparation for further sanctions in mid-July, the EU is considering listing an additional 30 vessels from Russia's shadow fleet. These measures aim to curb Russia's funding for the war in Ukraine and address the safety and environmental risks posed by poorly maintained vessels, such as the two Russian coastal oil tankers that broke apart in the Black Sea in late 2024.