The US Department of Defense has ramped up enforcement against shadow fleet vessels transporting sanctioned oil, forcing seven ships in 24 hours to change course and change courses in the Caribbean region. A recent seizure included Olina near Trinidad while Ukraine applauded coordinated US actions taken against Russia-linked vessels operating without proper regulation.
On 8 and 10 January 2026, the shadow fleet carrying Russian and Venezuelan oil came under increased military and regulatory scrutiny. A Palau flagged tanker linked to Russia was hit by an unmanned surface vessel off Turkiye; U.S. forces also seized two suspected sanctions evasion tankers as separate operations; regional governments as well as NATO partners are currently reviewing risks related to this opaque trade.
The inaugural week of 2026 witnessed significant naval and defense activity, from advances to European surface combatant programs to autonomous vessel initiatives across North America and Asia, subsea infrastructure protection moves in the Philippines and even a significant U.S. defense budget signal. This report covers some of the most noteworthy and verifiable developments between 1 January and 8 January 2026.
Over the last week, US forces have successfully arrested multiple oil tankers linked to Venezuelan crude trades - from Russian-flagged Bella 1 in the North Atlantic and stateless Sophia in the Caribbean to an East Timor flagged Olina being detained by Coast Guard agents - increasing enforcement of sanctions and heightening risks for shadow fleet operators and conventional tanker owners alike.
Over the past week, maritime sanctions enforcement took an aggressive new turn when US authorities boarded and treated as stateless the VLCC Marinera registered under Russian flag, following its controversial reflagging. Backed by extensive NATO reconnaissance and shadowed by Russian naval units, this operation demonstrated rising legal, commercial, and security risks associated with global tanker trades.
A drug-smuggling semi-submersible the size of a school bus was caught in the North Atlantic in late November 2025. Another similar self-propelled semi-submersible was intercepted 1,000 nautical miles off Lisbon by Portuguese forces in a European Union-funded operation. Both operations highlighted the nadir near the end of 2025 for narco-submarines operating internationally.
Between 25 November and 1 December 2025 the maritime domain witnessed 18 critical incidents from drug interdictions, to migrants and boat people being rescued, piracy attack vessels, explosion against tankers off Senegal and in Black Sea, and major drug seizures and boat people crises in Mediterranean and Turkish waters. Notably, explosions against tankers off Senegal and in the Black Sea, alongside crises affecting those coming through Euro waters due to crisis migration.