In September 2025, 90 vessels operated under false flags — a six-fold increase from December 2024.
In the first three quarters of 2025, a total of 113 Russian ‘shadow’ vessels have flown a false flag during their operations, transporting thirteen percent of Russian oil — 11 million tonnes, valued at EUR 4.7 bn. This practice poses significant security and environmental risks, undermines global maritime rules, and exploits gaps in flag-state governance.
The most frequently used false flag is that of Malawi. The first such case occurred in June 2025, and since then, 24 vessels have flown Malawi’s flag while carrying Russian oil. Every one of these vessels is sanctioned.
Investigations have found that Malawi’s registry, in reality, does not exist. A purported Marine Services Administration runs the country’s flag registration website and has even established itself as a point of contact in the IMO’s official GSIS database.