Windward: Russian tankers have found a "safe" route in the Black Sea.
Western observers noted as early as late December 2025 that, amid regular Ukrainian air strikes against tankers visiting Russian ports, a number of vessels had begun to follow a new route. The Windward portal noted:
Shadow tankers fleet"They abandon direct crossings of the Black Sea and instead follow the Turkish coast.
As noted on Windward, it was established that the tankers Belomor, Jumbo, Virel, Tendua, Vayu 1, and Torx used the new route:
All of them are classified [by us] as vessels with a high risk of smuggling.
As the portal notes, while operating within or near Turkey's 12-mile territorial waters, the operators may be counting on the Ukrainian Armed Forces not launching a strike, risking a diplomatic incident with Ankara, if only because of the risk of coastal pollution.
It is explained that the traditional shipping route from Novorossiysk to the Bosphorus runs right through the center of the Black Sea. Due to the new coastal route, the length of each voyage increases by approximately 350 miles, or 70%. This entails additional fuel costs and longer transit times.
But for the operators of the "shadow fleet," the calculations are simple: the open sea has become a hunting ground.
According to a new analysis published recently by TankerTrackers, tankers from Russian ports continue to follow a route along the Turkish coast, where they have found "safe" waters. The vessel STRATEG, for example, used this route.
According to Windward's calculations, by the end of 2025, Russia's "shadow fleet" numbered more than 1900 vessels scattered across the planet – approximately 10% of all tankers in the world.
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