Georgia Detains Tanker Caminero Previously Sailing Under Russian Flag
The Georgian Coast Guard detained the tanker Caminero, sailing under the Panamanian flag, for violating navigation rules in Georgia’s territorial waters.
According to the Georgian Border Police, the vessel previously operated under the Russian flag but changed its registration at the end of 2022.
Criminal proceedings were opened against the ship’s captain, a Turkish national, for breaching navigation regulations. The captain paid a fine of 15,000 lari to the state budget, after which the tanker was permitted to resume its voyage.
The vessel’s change of registration took place amid Western sanctions against Russia, which included price caps on seaborne deliveries of Russian oil and an embargo.
As a result, a significant number of Russian vessels in 2022–2023 began changing their “nationality” en masse and switching to other flags to avoid restrictions and complications in international shipping.
It is worth noting that the tanker Caminero likely violated navigation rules due to its involvement in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.”
Vessels of the aggressor country have been forced to alter their usual routes because of regular attacks by Ukrainian maritime drones.
In November 2025 and January 2026, Ukraine’s Security Service, together with the Ukrainian Navy, successfully struck several tankers, including Kairos, Virat, Dashan, and Elbus.
The constant threat has forced Russian vessels to abandon direct routes in open waters and sail as close as possible to the territorial waters of other countries.
The coastal route along Turkey and Georgia allows tankers to quickly seek shelter in foreign ports if drones are detected. Such maneuvers aim to preserve the vessels and enable a faster response to the consequences of potential attacks.
Militarnyi previously reported that the tanker Elbus, sailing under the flag of Palau, was attacked by maritime drones in the Black Sea approximately 30 miles off the coast of Turkey’s Abana district.
The vessel was en route to the Russian port of Novorossiysk to load oil.
