U.S. forces boarded tanker Olina in the Caribbean on 9 January 2026, extending a run of seizures linked to sanctions enforcement and alleged “ghost fleet” operations.
Turkey’s foreign minister calls recent drone attacks on Russia-linked tankers in the Black Sea “very scary”, warning they endanger regional shipping and show the Ukraine war is spreading at sea.
The European Union is advancing a novel maritime declaration aimed at enabling coordinated inspections of Russia’s “shadow fleet” of oil tankers, part of a broader push to tighten sanctions enforcement and cut off Russian war-financing revenue.
Yangzijiang Shipbuilding has terminated US$180 million in MR oil tanker contracts after new disclosures linked the buyer’s shareholder to alleged U.S. sanctions evasion.
