By Eric Topona, Journalist, Writer, Former Secretary General of the Chadian Journalists Union (UJT).
On May 31, 2026, an oil tanker named Tagor was intercepted by the French navy in the Atlantic.
This ship was associated with the Russian “ghost fleet” (a network of tankers used to circumvent sanctions related to the war in Ukraine). It was sailing under a suspicious or falsified flag, which justified the intervention.
Journalist Eric Topona reflects on the “ghost fleets” and the usurpation of African flags.
Since the imposition of Western sanctions due to its aggression in Ukraine, Russia has continuously boasted about the health of its economy and its ability to sustain its war economy while fulfilling its sovereign duties to its populations.
This narrative, spread by Russian state media and Kremlin-affiliated influencers, has solidified in a significant portion of international public opinion: the myth of an invincible Russia that may bend under sanctions but never breaks. At what cost?
We were already familiar with the “ghost fleets”. These ships flying foreign, especially African, flags but actually transporting Russian export oil. This violation of international maritime navigation laws became Moscow’s choice as soon as Ukraine’s Western allies deemed it necessary and vital to sanction Russia economically, particularly by depriving it of the means to finance its war in Ukraine. In order to bypass these sanctions and continue exporting its hydrocarbons to its main foreign clients, Moscow simply resorted to using borrowed flags, often African ones.
This approach seemed even more beneficial to Russian authorities as these were states where respect for the law, whether national or international, was contingent and respected, or not.
This depends on the interests that certain corrupt officials or even high-ranking authorities in these African countries can derive from this choice of illegality. These ghost fleets thrived for a long time, until international institutions responsible for regulating maritime navigation denounced them and Western powers allied with Ukraine took retaliatory measures against African states. These countries persisted in becoming complicit in Moscow’s violation of international law.
Environmental risks….
This new wave of sanctions immediately had an impact.
Some African countries have resolved to definitively sever this mafia partnership with Moscow. Apart from circumventing economic sanctions, these ghost fleets in Moscow’s service posed significant risks to the environment and marine ecosystems. They mostly consisted of worn-out tankers without insurance, whose use contravened all maritime navigation norms and could, in the event of a navigation incident, cause irreparable ecological damage.
…and reactions from African governments
If Moscow no longer has the option of using ghost fleets, as was the case in the early days of Western sanctions, its strategists’ boundless imagination has now opted for the usurpation of African flags without consulting the authorities of these countries that lack appropriate mechanisms to control these attributes of national sovereignty.
However, the case of Cameroon is concerning. To date, in the monitored fleet, there are 127 ships flying the Cameroonian flag, presented as official. The extent of this fraud in Cameroon raises questions about maritime governance in the country. Especially, what about the proper maintenance of its maritime registry, the intermediaries or facilitators between Russian and Cameroonian parties, and the negligence of local administrations due to corrupt practices? Faced with this scourge, affected states eventually take action. Following the revelation that 13% of the foreign fleet flew its flag, port authorities in Douala (Cameroon’s economic capital) have implemented stricter control measures.
The specialized review Hellenic Shipping News informs us that these reforms led to the cessation of dubious registrations at the end of 2025 and the elimination of over 20 ships at the beginning of 2026. Under international pressure, Cameroonian authorities launched a large-scale cleansing operation of their maritime registry, excluding dozens of ships suspected to be part of the Russian “ghost fleet”. This fleet is used to illegally sell oil and violate global economic sanctions. On June 8, 2026, in a statement, the Cameroonian Ministry of Transport was firm. Following a verification, officials stated that the Tagor “does not appear on any official lists of ships authorized to fly the Cameroonian flag.” Yaoundé no longer wants to see its flag associated with Russian ghost fleet operations.
It should be noted that for many years, African maritime archives have been a preferred access point for ships of the Russian Dark Fleet. These ships, used to evade sanctions on Russian oil exports, underwent multiple flag, identity, and ownership changes to avoid checks.
Gabon has taken decisive actions to regain control of its maritime registry by canceling the registration of 95 ships associated with the Russian “ghost fleet” used to circumvent global oil sanctions. This action concluded the registration agreement granted to Intershipping Services LLC.
Surveillance of the Dark Fleet or “ghost fleet”
Furthermore, European authorities have paid special attention to the influx of tankers carrying sanctioned Russian oil to Gabon. According to various specialized surveys, around 98% of the newly registered volume in 2024 was dedicated to transporting Russian hydrocarbons.
In Senegal, the disastrous incident of the tanker Mersin at the end of 2025 was a turning point. This prompted authorities to intensify their surveillance of the Dark Fleet along their coasts.
Gambia was supposed to exclude over 70 ships suspected of using fake or non-compliant certificates.
Given the magnitude of the situation, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) introduced new guidelines in April 2026 to combat fraudulent registrations.
The organization reported that 529 ships were identified as fraudulently using another state’s flag in the previous year. And over 40 member states experienced flag usurpation.
A beneficial usurpation for Russia
Beyond these serious violations of international maritime navigation laws, this usurpation of African flags allows Russia to reduce maritime navigation costs, evade controls by international agencies responsible for regulating maritime navigation, and create conditions of opacity that make it difficult to seize these ships. While exposing African states to major risks such as being blacklisted from their maritime registries, in addition to the serious security risks faced by the crews.
This increasing power of Moscow in fraudulently circumventing Western sanctions speaks volumes about the little regard it has for its African partners, whom it claims to guarantee their dignity and sovereignty on the international stage. While many African countries are still concerned about the mafia enlistment of Africans to serve as cannon fodder on the Ukrainian front, the scandal of usurping African flags is a concrete illustration of a fictitious partnership with an Africa that Moscow actually holds in great contempt. Not to mention the recent “abandonment in mid-flight” of the soldiers of the Africa Corps in Kidal, during the capture of this northern Mali city by the rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), at the end of April 2026.
