The Insider: Oil tankers switch off tracking on Russia–Georgia Black Sea routes

An investigation by the iFact project, a partner of Georgia’s Centre for the Study of Corruption and Organized Crime, has found that oil tankers operating between Russian and Georgian ports in the Black Sea have been routinely disabling their Automatic Identification System (AIS), a key maritime tracking mechanism.

An analysis of shipping data covering the period from 2024 to 2026 shows that at least 19 vessels switched off their AIS transponders after departing Russian ports. Of these, 11 ships were confirmed to be transporting oil, while the nature of the cargo carried by the remaining eight vessels could not be independently verified, The Insider reports.

The findings raise questions about transparency in maritime trade routes linking Russia and Georgia. Although Georgia has not joined international sanctions imposed on Russia over its war against Ukraine, Georgian authorities insist that sanctioned Russian oil and petroleum products are not transiting through the country. The investigation, however, suggests that shipping practices in the Black Sea may obscure the true scale and nature of such movements.

By Vafa Guliyeva