The European Union and the United Kingdom have sanctioned Intershipping Services, a company based in the UAE that operates the Gabon and Comoros Flag registries, which have played a central role in supporting the network of opaque tankers transporting sanctioned Russian crude.
The measure, part of the sanctions packages announced on Friday, marks one of the most direct efforts so far by Western governments to target the infrastructure enabling Russia’s shadow fleet.
According to EU findings, Intershipping Services is headquartered in a tower in a Dubai suburb, with a connected office in Mumbai run by the family that manages the Comoros registry.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Gabon flag rose in prominence, absorbing dozens of tankers dropped by more cautious registries. Among these was a large portion of the fleet of Sovcomflot, the sanctioned Russian state-controlled tanker giant. By 2024, Gabon had become the world’s fastest-growing shipping registry, driven by the influx of Russian tonnage.
Both Gabon and Comoros have long attracted scrutiny from Port State Control authorities. Comoros, in particular, has become synonymous with high-risk maritime behavior. It is blacklisted by the Paris MoU, is floated by the US Coast Guard, and is consistently at the top level for crew abandonment cases, according to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
Comoros is also known for its involvement in oil shipments linked to Iran, and both it and Gabon frequently appear in sanctions evasion alerts related to illicit trade with Venezuela, Russia, and Iran. The notorious tanker Pablo (pictured), which exploded in Malaysia in 2023, was flagged to Gabon at the time.
The sanctions were announced the same day the UK aligned with the EU’s decision to lower the oil price cap for Russian crude from $60 to $47.60 per barrel, aiming to tighten the screws on Moscow’s revenue. While symbolically significant, the impact of the lowered price cap remains muted without US enforcement, as most maritime oil transactions are still conducted in US dollars.
The United States has yet to endorse the EU’s floating cap mechanism, creating a growing transatlantic rift in sanctions enforcement. Without the financial power of the United States behind the measure, many analysts remain skeptical about its effectiveness in curbing the shadow fleet’s profits.
Starting with the Informa group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine, as well as East Asia editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued an independent career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia editor for Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times, and the International Herald Tribune.
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