1. TankerMap sanctions snapshot

TankerMap currently has 557 canonical vessel profiles explicitly marked sanctioned in its public data. A sanctions match is a sourced designation record; it is not the same thing as a broad shadow-fleet label. The vessel directory exposes matched status on individual profiles where available.

2. What shadow fleet means

Shadow fleet or dark fleet is an informal analytical label for vessels and corporate structures used to move sanctioned or high-risk cargo with reduced transparency. There is no single universal registry or legal definition. A vessel can be described this way because of ownership opacity, trading pattern, insurance concerns or sanctions exposure, but each claim needs evidence.

3. Common risk indicators

Analysts may examine frequent flag changes, opaque or recently changed ownership, aging vessels, unfamiliar insurance, repeated ship-to-ship transfers, unusual routing, identity inconsistencies, sanctions links and AIS gaps. None of these indicators is conclusive on its own. Legitimate vessels can change flag, conduct STS operations or experience reception gaps for ordinary operational reasons.

4. Why AIS gaps are not proof

A deliberate AIS shutdown can be relevant evidence, but reception failure, congestion and equipment problems can create a similar track gap. Responsible analysis tests whether movement during the gap was physically feasible and looks for corroboration from later positions, port calls, imagery, ownership records or official designations. See how AIS tracking works.

5. What TankerMap does and does not claim

TankerMap separates explicit sanctions matches from broader behavioral signals. It can show vessel identity, recent positions, routes, port context and designated status where sourced. It does not infer cargo ownership or unlawful conduct from a single gap, destination or STS event. For market and route context, compare the live oil tanker tracker, ports and strait analytics.