- Eleven spoofing incidents captured since December 2024.
- All cases involve non-designated shadow fleet vessels.
- China the most common destination following spoofing event.
Since December 2024, maritime intelligence has detected eleven incidents of Automatic Identification System (AIS) spoofing in the Sea of Japan involving seven tankers from the so-called “shadow fleet,” reports Lloyd’s List.
These vessels—primarily medium-range (MR2), Aframax, and Suezmax tankers—falsified their positional data while sailing toward Russia’s Far East, before backtracking after pretending to be elsewhere. This timing aligns with changes in their draught, indicating that they likely loaded oil during these deceptive voyages.
AIS spoofing in the Sea of Japan
One such vessel, the Panama‑flagged MR2 Elkor, manipulated its AIS data on four separate occasions between December 2024 and March 2025. Satellite imagery confirmed the ship, matching Elkor’s size and profile, docked at the Vostochnyy port—suggesting a link to these clandestine operations.
While Vostochnyy emerged as a primary location for these actions, spoofing wasn’t limited to that region. Some vessels began spoofing from points further north or east, hinting that terminals such as Kozmino or nearby Nakhodka Bay—where shadow fleet-related ship-to-ship (STS) transfers are known to occur—may also be involved.
These tactics reflect a coordinated effort by non-designated vessels to dodge sanction scrutiny while transporting Russian oil, often onward to destinations in China immediately after spoofing events. The fake navigation data helps obscure their real routes and cargo origins, facilitating transactions that could otherwise attract penalties.
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Source: Lloyd’s List
