The Documentary Podcast

What is the 'Shadow Fleet'?

22 snips
Nov 29, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Alexey Kalmykov, a BBC Russian economics reporter, reveals the dark world of the 'shadow fleet,' highlighting how over a thousand oil tankers aid Russia in evading sanctions. José Carlos Cueto shares the haunting story of Jennifer, the 'daughter of the volcano,' who survived the devastating Nevado del Ruiz eruption but lost her mother in the chaos. Meanwhile, Bimal Thankachan uncovers the spicy history of Chicken 65, tracing its origins and the story of its creator. A fascinating mix of geopolitics, history, and culinary culture!
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INSIGHT

Scale Of The Shadow Fleet

  • Around one fifth of the world's oil tankers now form a 'shadow fleet' used to operate outside normal oversight.
  • Alexey Kalmykov says roughly 1,000 tankers now serve sanctioned oil exporters like Russia, Iran and Venezuela.
INSIGHT

How Sanctions Rewrote Oil Routes

  • The shadow fleet mainly moves oil for countries under Western sanctions, notably Russia, Iran and Venezuela.
  • Alexey explains tankers re-route cargoes to buyers in China and India and obscure origins by ship-to-ship transfers and blending.
INSIGHT

Hidden Owners, Huge External Risks

  • Shadow fleet practices hide ownership, falsify documentation and often avoid insurance to protect both sellers and buyers from sanctions.
  • Alexey warns that uninsured, poorly maintained ships raise the risk of major ecological and financial liabilities for third parties.
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