Gambia’s dark fleet gambit sees detentions and sanctions surge
- West African nation went from having no tankers flying its flag in 2023 to 35 oil and gas tankers by mid-March 2025
- Nearly 99% of these tankers by dwt are under US, UK, or EU sanctions, or are involved in sanctioned oil and gas trades
- Three Gambia-flagged tankers were detained in PSC inspections over the past 36 days
Gambia’s flag registry grew greatly by carrying capacity since 2023, fuelled by injection of dark fleet vessels, most of which are currently under US, EU, or UK sanctions
