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Cite this output
McGlynn, J. et al. (2026). Shadow Fleet at Mariupol Port: Interactive Visual. TOT Insights / King's College London. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20290944
40k–60k t
Monthly throughput (FIS est.)
Ukraine FIS, occupied ports3
~8,000t
Max cargo per vessel
Documented bulk cargo1
3
Vessels Jan 2026
First direct customs clearance
3–4
Military patrol boats (planned)
Border Guard class, spring 2026
1+
Temryuk re-registration route
Documented from Mar 18, 20261
Briefing
Read the full analysis →
The written briefing on shadow fleet operations and sanctions evasion at Mariupol port.
Mariupol Port: Operational Timeline
From bulk cargo relay point to direct-export hub and military facility. Vessel numbers and tonnage shown for each period.
Notes
  1. Vessels load grain or coal at occupied Mariupol, then clear documents at the Russian port of Temryuk without cargo operations, with AIS switched off during the Mariupol leg, before delivering to Turkey or Egypt. SeaKrime / Ukrainian Shipping Magazine, https://en.usm.media/stolen-ukrainian-wheat-delivered-from-occupied-mariupol-to-turkey/ and https://en.usm.media/bulk-carrier-with-stolen-grain-from-occupied-mariupol-is-being-unloaded-in-egypt/; Ukraine Defense Intelligence War and Sanctions portal, https://war-sanctions.gur.gov.ua/
  2. Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service reported Russia's 2025 integration of the Mariupol port into its logistics system and its opening to foreign vessels to circumvent sanctions; a government decree of 25 August 2025 added Mariupol and Berdiansk to the list of ports open to foreign vessels. RBC-Ukraine, https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/russia-folds-occupied-mariupol-port-into-1768738134.html
  3. Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service estimates roughly 40,000 to 60,000 tonnes of stolen resources move through the occupied ports each month. RBC-Ukraine (as note 2).
  4. Reuters vessel-tracking recorded 18 cargo vessels departing Mariupol and Berdiansk between July and November, most bound for Turkish ports; Russian customs data showed at least 508,500 tonnes of coal, coke and anthracite worth $13.2 million exported from occupied regions between March 2022 and March 2025. Reuters, via Kyiv Post, https://www.kyivpost.com/post/72779
  5. Ukrainian forces struck the Mariupol Commercial Sea Port, identified as a Russian military-logistics hub also used for illegal export of grain, coal and metal. Kyiv Post, https://www.kyivpost.com/post/77876; United24 Media, https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/ukraine-strikes-occupied-mariupol-port-used-for-russian-military-logistics-and-illegal-grain-exports-19686