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How Turkey Is Compromising Itself With The Russian Shadow Fleet

 

by Martin Aslan

The Russian shadow fleet refers to a group of oil tankers used covertly by Russia to export its oil despite international sanctions. Approximately 70% of Russian oil exported by sea is transported on these vessels. It is difficult to estimate the size of this fleet, but it could number more than 1,000 ships. Most of these vessels are in poor condition and sometimes require extensive maintenance. Part of the maritime traffic passes through the Black Sea and thus transits the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits in Turkey. While this passage is “mandatory,” technical, logistical, and commercial stopovers are prohibited. Thus, Turkey is complicit in the export of Russian oil despite the embargo imposed by the EU in 2022 and US sanctions against Russia.

The ports of Tuzla, Yalova, and Samsun serve as support bases for the shadow fleet

From November 2025 to the present, the shipyards in Tuzla and Yalova have hosted ships from the Russian shadow fleet for heavy maintenance work. These two ports are located near the Bosphorus Strait but are, in fact, two shipyards dedicated to heavy maintenance. For example, the Cameroonian-flagged Aditya (IMO 9323314) was in dry dock in December 2025 at the Tuzla shipyard. The Zangazur, flying the Azerbaijani flag (IMO 9420617), was received in November 2025 at the Yalova shipyard.

The Turkish port of Samsun on the Black Sea serves as a port of call for ships bound for the Russian port of Novorossiysk. This is the case for the Aditya. 

A Turkish refinery between two Russian ports

The Turkish port of Aliaga is home to an Azerbaijani refinery operated by SOCAR (State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan). Sanctioned ships such as the Zangazur, the Shusha, the Khankendi, and the Magni Alexa call at this port on behalf of SOCAR. These ships operate routes between the Russian ports of Primorsk, near Saint Petersburg, and Novorossiysk on the Black Sea. These two ports are, in fact, terminals for crude oil and refined products. This logistics operation demonstrates that Turkey is participating in Russia’s oil trade via the shadow fleet despite the embargo and international sanctions.

Complicity with Russia, but also with Iran

In connection with this trafficking, the Rozana (IMO 9198381), a cargo ship flying the Belizean flag but owned by a Turkish company, passed through the Strait of Hormuz last March after calling at the Iranian port of Imam Khomeini. The Rozana continued on its way to the Black Sea, bound for the Russian port of Novorossiysk in early May. The vessel is owned by Rozana Maritime Ltd., a company registered and based in Tuzla, Turkey.

Turkey unabashedly circumvents international sanctions and acts as an accomplice to a system orchestrated by Russia. Turkey, a NATO member country, continues to follow its own agenda without regard for the coalition countries’ common goals. NATO’s credibility depends on the cohesion of its member countries. For a long time, Turkey has been considered a troublesome and unpredictable ally. During the NATO summit in Ankara, will the US president’s flattery toward his Turkish counterpart and his promises regarding the F-35 be enough to bring the country back into line with the alliance?

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