Oman has stayed neutral on international sanctions against Moscow, and Russia’s oil-shipping shadow fleet has followed: A review of maritime data shows an increasing number of sanctioned vessels in recent months changing their flags to Oman and transferring ownership to Omani firms.
The European Union stumbled last month into designating an Oman-registered oil and gas transport company, Citrine Marine SPC, which it mistakenly said was based in the UAE, for owning “vessels that transport crude oil or petroleum products, originating in Russia or exported from Russia, while practicing irregular and high-risk shipping practices.”
But Citrine Marine is just one Omani point in the larger maritime system. A Kharon investigation connected a broader network of Oman-registered vessel owners and UAE-based vessel operators around it that actively support Russia’s shadow fleet and oil exports, too.
And the companies’ Russian ties go well beyond just the oil they’re transporting.
Collectively, according to maritime data, these three companies own 29 vessels designated by the U.S., EU and/or the U.K.
The European Union stumbled last month into designating an Oman-registered oil and gas transport company, Citrine Marine SPC, which it mistakenly said was based in the UAE, for owning “vessels that transport crude oil or petroleum products, originating in Russia or exported from Russia, while practicing irregular and high-risk shipping practices.”
But Citrine Marine is just one Omani point in the larger maritime system. A Kharon investigation connected a broader network of Oman-registered vessel owners and UAE-based vessel operators around it that actively support Russia’s shadow fleet and oil exports, too.
And the companies’ Russian ties go well beyond just the oil they’re transporting.
The Omani fleet owners and their shared managers
According to corporate records, Citrine Marine and two additional oil and gas transport companies registered in Oman, White Agate Marine SPC and Serpentine Marine SPC, are managed by the same three individuals: Omani national Nasr Nasser Ali Alomairi and Russian nationals Daniil Mosin and Igor Konfino.Collectively, according to maritime data, these three companies own 29 vessels designated by the U.S., EU and/or the U.K.
All three companies, Oman’s corporate registry shows, were founded in January of last year—shortly after 22 of those vessels were sanctioned.
But White Agate Marine and Serpentine Marine have not been targeted by sanctions themselves, nor have the managers they share with Citrine Marine.
The registered operator of Citrine Marine’s fleet is Nova Shipmanagement L.L.C-FZ, which the EU sanctioned last month alongside Citrine Marine. The operator for the majority of the vessels owned by Serpentine Marine and White Agate Marine is a company with another night-themed name: Dreamer Shipmanagement L.L.C-FZ.
According to corporate records, both management firms are registered at the same Dubai address, the Meydan Hotel, an address that media reporting has tied to Russian sanctions-evasion networks. And a third firm with a similar name, Moonlight Shipmanagement L.L.C-FZ, is registered at that address as well.
According to maritime data, Moonlight Shipmanagement previously operated 14 of Dreamer Shipmanagement’s current ships—before the EU sanctioned Moonlight last May, for facilitating the Russian shadow fleet.
Recurring trend: Moonlight was also the third company to be sanctioned for operating this same group of vessels. After each of those three company designations, maritime data shows, the tankers were then transferred to a new, non-sanctioned entity in the UAE.
It’s all a part of Russia’s ongoing shell games, for a global fleet that keep shuffling.
Read more from the Kharon Brief:
But White Agate Marine and Serpentine Marine have not been targeted by sanctions themselves, nor have the managers they share with Citrine Marine.
The shadowy ultimate owners
In addition to their Russian management ties, each of the three Oman-based companies traces to Russian or opaque owners, corporate records show:- Serpentine Marine is ultimately majority-owned by Russia’s largest shipping company, state-owned Sovcomflot PAO, which the U.K. and U.S. both have sanctioned.
- The owner of White Agate Marine is Cariba Carriers Ltd, a Seychelles-based company for which Kharon research could identify no media or online presence.
- Citrine Marine is ultimately owned by Ladoga JSC, a Russian joint-stock company founded in 2024.
The night-themed UAE operators
The vessels’ operations, meanwhile, tie in UAE companies, along with a distinct pattern.The registered operator of Citrine Marine’s fleet is Nova Shipmanagement L.L.C-FZ, which the EU sanctioned last month alongside Citrine Marine. The operator for the majority of the vessels owned by Serpentine Marine and White Agate Marine is a company with another night-themed name: Dreamer Shipmanagement L.L.C-FZ.
According to corporate records, both management firms are registered at the same Dubai address, the Meydan Hotel, an address that media reporting has tied to Russian sanctions-evasion networks. And a third firm with a similar name, Moonlight Shipmanagement L.L.C-FZ, is registered at that address as well.
According to maritime data, Moonlight Shipmanagement previously operated 14 of Dreamer Shipmanagement’s current ships—before the EU sanctioned Moonlight last May, for facilitating the Russian shadow fleet.
Recurring trend: Moonlight was also the third company to be sanctioned for operating this same group of vessels. After each of those three company designations, maritime data shows, the tankers were then transferred to a new, non-sanctioned entity in the UAE.
It’s all a part of Russia’s ongoing shell games, for a global fleet that keep shuffling.
Read more from the Kharon Brief:
