The Gambia has begun removing dozens of oil tankers from its flag registry in a major crackdown on vessels linked to sanctions evasion, safety violations and fraudulent documentation.

According to international maritime reports, at least 20 tankers are now officially listed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as “falsely flagged” to The Gambia — meaning they were flying the Gambian flag without legal registration.

The development comes as Ukrainian security forces released a video showing a drone strike on two Gambia-flagged tankers, Kairos and Virat, in the Black Sea.

The vessels are alleged to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” — a network of tankers used to secretly transport oil in violation of Western sanctions.

The Gambia has reportedly deregistered more than 70 ships suspected of using fake or irregular certificates.

The move comes amid growing pressure from the United States and Europe to clamp down on shadow fleet operations, which use weakly regulated flag registries to avoid sanctions, insurance and safety rules.

Gambia’s ship registry expanded rapidly after management was outsourced to a private company in 2023, with the number of vessels registered jumping from fewer than 40 to more than 100.

Many were linked to Russian oil trade and flagged concerns over poor oversight, questionable insurance and environmental risk.

Gambia’s action mirrors similar crackdowns by Comoros and Sierra Leone, whose registries have also been used by dark fleet tankers. Together, these flags reportedly accounted for around 40% of tanker traffic at Russia’s Baltic ports between October and November 2025.

Some vessels have been switching flags repeatedly to avoid detection — a practice known as flag-hopping. One tanker, the Aqua Titan, moved through several flags, including Gambia, after being sanctioned by the EU and UK, before registering under Cameroon.

European authorities have now begun monitoring suspicious tankers in their waters and verifying flag, insurance and ownership details as part of a wider enforcement effort.

Experts say The Gambia’s recent actions are an important step toward restoring credibility to its international registry.

However, hundreds of shadow fleet vessels are still believed to be operating under fraudulent or permissive flags.