Maersk and CMA CGM began cautiously resuming Suez Canal transits after almost two years of Cape of Good Hope routing following a fragile Gaza ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025. War risk premiums have fallen significantly while security analysts caution that conditions remain volatile and could change quickly.
In the past week, Ukraine has attacked several Russian-linked tankers with sea drones as Russian strikes hit a Turkish-flagged ship carrying sunflower oil. Incidents with vessels Dashan, Midvolga-2, VIVA and others have led Besiktas Shipping [to] suspend all Russia-bound voyages and push up insurance premiums with Ankara warning of further attacks to come.
From December 11-13, 2025, the United States ramped up its campaign against the global shadow fleet by seizing the tanker Skipper off Venezuela with commando raids, while Ukraine and the EU keep up the pressure against dark shipping associated with Russia. The assaults highlighted deteriorating legal, operational and market conditions for owners looking to protect vessels involved in shadowy oil trades.
Tanker shipping have recently been operating under intense security pressure and regulatory scrutiny. Bulgaria successfully managed the drift of damaged crude carrier Kairos after drone strike destruction in November; Bangladesh provided repatriation of injured crew. Russia-linked tankers were damaged off Dakar, while Iran released Talara, causing oil trades additional geopolitical risk.
Ukrainian forces targeted Russian shadow fleet tankers in the Black Sea on December 1-3, 2025, damaging vessels and disrupting Russian oil exports. The strikes, involving Kairos and Virat tankers respectively, threaten to affect maritime warfare tactics affecting global energy markets and sanctions enforcement.
Kairos and Virat, both sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tankers were rocked by explosions near Turkey’s coast on November 28-29th 2025, with Ukrainian forces claiming they were behind the attacks using naval drones; all crew were subsequently evacuated after the incidents and act is a demonstration of increased maritime warfare of Russia’s oil targets.
Two Gambian-flagged oil tankers, Kairos and Virat, were attacked by Ukrainian naval drones in the Black Sea between November 28 and 29, 2025. Both vessels, presenting as an EU and UK sanctioned shadow fleet for transporting Russian oil, were struck by naval drones in what can be described as the second round of attacks against Russian vessels in the Black Sea by Ukraine's SBU security service.