Flames and thick smoke rise from a tanker after blasts rocked two vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet in the Black Sea near Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait, in this image released November 28, 2025. Turkish Directorate General for Maritime Affairs/Handout via REUTERS.
By Julian Lee
Dec 18, 2025 (Bloomberg) –Oil tankers hauling Russian crude across the Black Sea are taking a roundabout route along the coastlines of Georgia and Turkey — a measure that might help them to reduce the risk of being targeted by Ukrainian sea drones.
Vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg shows at least two tankers that recently loaded cargoes at Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk taking a coastal route to the Bosphorus, rather than making the more normal trip straight across the middle of the sea. The detour adds about 350 miles, or 70%, to the journey from the port to the Turkish straits.
There’s a chance that the ships are providing false digital positions — something that’s become increasingly common on Russian shipments as the war continues.
However, satellite imagery reviewed by Bloomberg showed at least one of the vessels on a detour on Wednesday.
The image puts the ship about 4.4 nautical miles away from its digital position signal 20 minutes earlier, adding weight to identification based on the tanker’s dimensions, color and deck layout.
That ship is the Jumbo. Its insurer and beneficial owner are unknown and it sails under the flag of Sierra Leone, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The ship’s manager, as listed on the Equasis maritime database, didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.
Several linked to Russia have been attacked by Ukraine’s Sea Baby navel drones while crossing the Black Sea in the past few weeks. All of those vessels were empty at the time they were struck.
© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.
This article contains reporting from Bloomberg, published under license.
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