The EU-sanctioned Suezmax crude oil tanker LATUR has triggered fresh concerns over Arctic shipping safety and sanctions evasion after entering Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR) without a permit, known insurance, or up-to-date safety certification. The Comoros-flagged vessel, built in 2006, departed MURMANSK on August 6 carrying Russian crude, publicly listing China as its destination with arrival expected by September 6.
Unpermitted Passage Raises Legal and Safety Red Flags
Russian regulations require all vessels transiting the NSR to secure a permit from the Northern Sea Route Administration. Yet, according to shipping trackers, Latur is operating without authorization—an action seen by industry observers as a calculated defiance of both Russian and international maritime protocols. The tanker also lacks a verified Protection & Indemnity (P&I) policy, a standard safeguard for high-risk voyages.
Adding to the controversy, the ship’s Comoros flag is blacklisted under the Paris and Tokyo MoU, signaling poor regulatory oversight. Its classification under the Indian Register of Shipping was revoked earlier this year after the vessel missed a mandatory safety inspection, according to Equasis data.
Pushing the Limits of Arctic Oil Transport
Latur’s Arctic voyage is notable for another reason: the vessel is not ice-class certified. Traditionally, Russia has relied on ice-class tankers to move crude along the NSR, but the post-Ukraine sanctions era has seen a rise in non-ice-class shadow fleet tankers attempting the route to meet export commitments to Asia. This shift significantly raises operational risks in an already challenging and environmentally sensitive region.
Part of a Growing Sanctions-Evasion ‘Shadow Fleet’
The Latur incident is the latest in a broader pattern involving the so-called shadow fleet—a network of aging, high-risk tankers operating under obscure ownership, flag-hopping to avoid regulatory scrutiny, and often going AIS-dark during critical transits. These vessels are instrumental in moving Russian oil despite Western sanctions, frequently conducting ship-to-ship (STS) transfers in remote waters to obscure cargo origins.
Analysts warn that the Latur’s Arctic passage—combining sanctions evasion, environmental risk, and legal non-compliance—marks an escalation in how shadow fleet operators are testing the limits of maritime enforcement in the high north.
.png)
