Russia-Linked Oil Tanker Experiences Control Issues Again in Mediterranean
A second Russia-linked oil tanker has lost control while entering the Mediterranean Sea within just a week. The medium-range vessel, Chariot Tide, first exhibited signs of distress as it approached Tangier, Morocco, on January 21. Its speed suddenly dropped to less than two knots, and hours later, its navigation status was updated to “Not under command.” This designation indicates a loss of control, meaning the vessel cannot maneuver to avoid other ships. By Wednesday, its operational status shifted to “in casualty or repairing.”
Last week, another tanker, the Progress, also reported being “not under command” while navigating a similar route. On the same day, the French navy boarded another oil carrier involved in the Russian trade and escorted it to a port near Marseille.
Read more: Another Russian Shadow Fleet Oil Tanker Runs Into Difficulties
The fact that two tankers transporting Russian oil have encountered navigational issues in quick succession raises alarms among critics. They argue that the fleet assembled by Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions poses significant environmental risks. These vessels, often sanctioned, may lack adequate insurance and operate under questionable flags with opaque ownership structures.
Over the next two days, the Chariot Tide slowly traversed the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea, stopping at various points along the way without entering any ports. By Saturday morning, it had cleared the Spanish exclave of Ceuta and was heading into the Mediterranean at speeds between three and four knots, while still indicating it was not under command. The vessel remains off the coast of Morocco.
After appearing to lose its way in the busy waters of the western Alboran Sea for nearly a full day, the tanker’s navigation status was updated to “Under way using engine” on Sunday morning. However, it continued to move eastward at speeds below two knots, being shadowed for a time by the Spanish tug Maria Zambrano.
What ‘Not under command’ means:
The Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, defines “Not Under Command” as follows:
The term ‘vessel not under command’ means a vessel which through some exceptional circumstance is unable to manoeuvre as required by these Rules and is therefore unable to keep out of the way of another vessel.
https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%201050/volume-1050-I-15824-English.pdf
Such circumstances generally include, but are not limited to:
- Steering gear failure
- Engine failure/propulsion loss
- Loss of power
- Unexpected damage
The 19-year-old Chariot Tide was sanctioned by both the European Union and the UK for its involvement in the Russian oil trade, previously known as Marbella Sun. It is currently carrying a cargo of approximately 300,000 barrels of diesel, loaded at the Russian Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, according to data from intelligence company Kpler. This voyage to the Baltic marks the Chariot Tide’s first trip since departing a shipyard in Turkey in November, as indicated by vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
The vessel’s signals suggest it was heading for the Moroccan port of Tangier when it encountered difficulties. Previous voyages have also seen it deliver Russian diesel to North African ports, according to Kpler.
The ship’s manager, Clariton Shipping Ltd., is registered in the Marshall Islands, as per the Equasis international shipping database, which provides no additional means of contacting the company. International Registries Inc., affiliated with The Marshall Islands Maritime and Corporate Registries, stated that Clariton Shipping “was forcibly annulled on 7 February 2025 and is no longer an active entity.”
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A second Russia-linked oil tanker has lost control while entering the Mediterranean Sea within just a week. The medium-range vessel, Chariot Tide, first exhibited signs of distress as it approached Tangier, Morocco, on January 21. Its speed suddenly dropped to less than two knots, and hours later, its navigation status was updated to “Not under command.” This designation indicates a loss of control, meaning the vessel cannot maneuver to avoid other ships. By Wednesday, its operational status shifted to “in casualty or repairing.”
Last week, another tanker, the Progress, also reported being “not under command” while navigating a similar route. On the same day, the French navy boarded another oil carrier involved in the Russian trade and escorted it to a port near Marseille.
Read more: Another Russian Shadow Fleet Oil Tanker Runs Into Difficulties
The fact that two tankers transporting Russian oil have encountered navigational issues in quick succession raises alarms among critics. They argue that the fleet assembled by Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions poses significant environmental risks. These vessels, often sanctioned, may lack adequate insurance and operate under questionable flags with opaque ownership structures.
Over the next two days, the Chariot Tide slowly traversed the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea, stopping at various points along the way without entering any ports. By Saturday morning, it had cleared the Spanish exclave of Ceuta and was heading into the Mediterranean at speeds between three and four knots, while still indicating it was not under command. The vessel remains off the coast of Morocco.
After appearing to lose its way in the busy waters of the western Alboran Sea for nearly a full day, the tanker’s navigation status was updated to “Under way using engine” on Sunday morning. However, it continued to move eastward at speeds below two knots, being shadowed for a time by the Spanish tug Maria Zambrano.
What ‘Not under command’ means:
The Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, defines “Not Under Command” as follows:
The term ‘vessel not under command’ means a vessel which through some exceptional circumstance is unable to manoeuvre as required by these Rules and is therefore unable to keep out of the way of another vessel.
https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/UNTS/Volume%201050/volume-1050-I-15824-English.pdf
Such circumstances generally include, but are not limited to:
- Steering gear failure
- Engine failure/propulsion loss
- Loss of power
- Unexpected damage
The 19-year-old Chariot Tide was sanctioned by both the European Union and the UK for its involvement in the Russian oil trade, previously known as Marbella Sun. It is currently carrying a cargo of approximately 300,000 barrels of diesel, loaded at the Russian Baltic Sea port of Primorsk, according to data from intelligence company Kpler. This voyage to the Baltic marks the Chariot Tide’s first trip since departing a shipyard in Turkey in November, as indicated by vessel tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
The vessel’s signals suggest it was heading for the Moroccan port of Tangier when it encountered difficulties. Previous voyages have also seen it deliver Russian diesel to North African ports, according to Kpler.
The ship’s manager, Clariton Shipping Ltd., is registered in the Marshall Islands, as per the Equasis international shipping database, which provides no additional means of contacting the company. International Registries Inc., affiliated with The Marshall Islands Maritime and Corporate Registries, stated that Clariton Shipping “was forcibly annulled on 7 February 2025 and is no longer an active entity.”
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