One of the three tankers intercepted by India’s Coast Guard during a coordinated sea-air operation targeting an international oil-smuggling network off the country’s west coast. Photo courtesy Indian Coast Guard
By Weilun Soon and Sudhi Ranjan Sen
Feb 10, 2026 (Bloomberg) –The Indian Coast Guard seized three tankers that it said were involved in oil smuggling, the first sign of the country getting tough on the so-called dark fleet.
The three ships were taken in the waters off Mumbai on Friday by the coast guard, which said in a post on X that it had “busted an international oil-smuggling racket” and that the vessels had been known to “frequently change identity.”
It’s the first time New Delhi has taken such action, according to people familiar with the Indian shipping industry, and comes as the US and Europe lead an effort to get tougher on vessels moving sanctioned oil. Many dark fleet tankers have sub-standard documentation, improper or fake flag registrations and poor maintenance, posing security and maritime safety risks.
The seizures are also happening as Washington pressures New Delhi to stop taking Russian crude, as part of a deal to cut import tariffs on the South Asian nation. India said early last year that it wouldn’t allow sanctioned tankers to discharge at its ports.
Explainer: How Trump Is Testing India’s US-Russia Balancing Act
The coast guard didn’t name the vessels it had seized, but shared photos of them in its post. The pictures matched past images of the Chiltern, Asphalt Star and Stellar Ruby that can be found on MarineTraffic, a ship-tracking intelligence platform.
Ship-intelligence platform TankerTracker.com identified the same vessels through their unique seven-digit IMO numbers.
All three ships were sanctioned by Washington last year for links to the Iranian oil trade.
Nobody responded to emails seeking comment at offices of the registered owners of the tankers as listed on the Equasis database. Calls made to the owners and manager of Chiltern and Asphalt Star were directed to voice mail. Calls made to the owner and manager of Stellar Ruby were not answered.
The three vessels seized by the Indian Coast Guard were being escorted to Mumbai for further investigation, a spokesperson said on Monday.
The so-called shadow, or dark, fleet is a group of around 1,500 tankers that carry Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan oil around the world. Malaysian authorities released two aging tankers earlier this month that it had detained for conducting a ship-to-ship transfer of oil without permission.
© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.
This article contains reporting from Bloomberg, published under license.
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
President Trump signed an executive order enabling tariffs on countries trading with Iran but did not immediately impose duties. The policy threatens major trade relationships with India, Turkey, and China while a US Navy strike group remains deployed.
U.S. and Russia agreed to restore military-to-military communication after a 3-year freeze. The channel aims to reduce miscalculation risks in the Black Sea, Arctic, and Europe—critical for commercial shipping safety.
Estonian authorities released the Russia-bound Baltic Spirit early Wednesday after finding no drugs despite a helicopter-borne SWAT operation. The failed interdiction highlights resource constraints facing smaller NATO states policing Baltic shipping.
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
