The sanctioned tanker PAZ (IMO 9233765), owned by Boom Trading Ltd, registered in the Marshall Islands, is at the center of an investigation for using a false flag and forged documentation to transport oil from Russia.
This is reported by Finway
Routes and Sanctioned Activities of the PAZ Tanker
According to intelligence, on March 9, 2026, the PAZ vessel left the Russian port of Murmansk with a cargo of 140,000 tons of crude oil intended for delivery to China. The exporter was Gazprom Neft. Between 2023 and 2025, the tanker made five trips with Russian oil to China and India, as well as four trips with Venezuelan oil to China.
Violations of International Rules and Manipulation of Insurance Certificates
Since March 2025, the PAZ tanker has been using a false flag from Curaçao, whose maritime registry is under European Union sanctions. Additionally, intelligence has established that the vessel claims to have an insurance certificate from the German company Seaguard P&I, but no evidence of the existence or registration of this company has been found in official German registries.
It has been noted that Russia has repeatedly resorted to manipulation of insurance documents. A known case involved the Norwegian company Romarine AS, which previously provided fictitious insurance for dozens of tankers in Russia’s “shadow fleet.” In March 2025, the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority suspended the activities of Romarine AS.
“The use of fictitious documents is indicative of systematic violations of international maritime transport rules by vessels of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet,’” the agency noted.
The PAZ tanker is under sanctions from Ukraine, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, and the United States.