// Dataset · v0.1 · CC-BY-4.0

Russia Shadow Fleet Tanker Cross-List Dataset

An aggregated record of tankers identified as part of the Russian shadow fleet, cross-matched across the U.S. OFAC SDN list, the EU Official Journal designations, and the UK OFSI consolidated list, deduplicated by IMO number. Each row carries primary-source citations for every designation event.

Companion publication to the investigation Russia's Shadow Fleet: How 287 Sanctioned Tankers Keep Urals Crude Flowing.

Status — v0.1 (schema-first release)

v0.1 publishes the field schema and a 2-record sample. The full aggregated cross-list (approximately 287 vessels by Q1 2026) is licensed separately for analyst and compliance teams — request access.

v1.0 is planned for August 2026 with the full deduplicated cross-list and monthly delta files.

Downloads (v0.1)

  • schema.json — JSON Schema for the dataset records (draft-07).
  • sample.json — Two verified sample rows demonstrating the schema (Eagle S; one placeholder pending Sovcomflot SDN cross-check).

Schema overview

Each record represents one vessel. Fields:

  • imo — IMO number (7 digits, globally unique, never reassigned). Primary key.
  • vessel_name_current + vessel_name_history — Shadow-fleet tankers rename frequently; we track the chain.
  • flag_current + flag_history — ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes with date intervals. Flag-hopping is the most reliable shadow-fleet indicator.
  • type, loa_meters, dwt, build_year — Vessel specification, from Equasis / IMO GISIS where public.
  • sanctions[] — Each designation event has regime (OFAC SDN, EU OJ, UK OFSI, UA NABC), designation_date, source_url, and press_release_id.
  • registered_owner, operator — Names + jurisdiction. Composite / anonymised where defamation-risk applies; we keep the raw public-record value separately for licensed users.
  • p_and_i_club — The protection-and-indemnity underwriter (or none of IG; see the insurance fiction section in the companion investigation).
  • events[] — Detentions, seizures, AIS gaps, STS transfers, reflagging, renames, casualties. Each carries a source URL.
  • as_of — Snapshot date for the row.

Methodology

  1. Source extraction. Designation events are extracted from OFAC press releases (e.g., JY2121 Sovcomflot, Feb 2024), EU Official Journal L-series filings, and the UK OFSI consolidated list XML feed.
  2. Vessel deduplication. Each designation record is mapped to an IMO number. Where a press release lists vessel name without IMO, we cross-reference Equasis / IMO GISIS to recover the IMO.
  3. Cross-list union. Three sets (OFAC, EU, OFSI) are unioned by IMO. The aggregate count is the cardinality of the union as of the snapshot date; it fluctuates as designations are added, revoked, or as vessels are scrapped.
  4. Enrichment. Flag history is pulled from Equasis. Operator / registered-owner records are taken from the most recent public IMO GISIS extract. P&I cover is reported only where the source is a regulator filing or a primary press report.
  5. Quality control. Every row is validated against the schema (schema.json) and every cited URL is verified to resolve at the time of the snapshot.

Citation

[0x]INT (2026). Russia Shadow Fleet Tanker Cross-List Dataset, v0.1. https://oxint.io/datasets/russia-shadow-fleet-tankers/

Licence

The published schema and sample records are distributed under CC-BY-4.0. The full v1.0 cross-list is licensed separately — see access request.

Companion investigation: Russia's Shadow Fleet: How 287 Sanctioned Tankers Keep Urals Crude Flowing — the forensic walkthrough this dataset supports.