A shadow fleet oil tanker that until recently carried the Gambian flag has been detained in the Russian port of Murmansk after its crew complained of unpaid wages and irregular contracts, according to the Russian Seafarers’ Union.
The vessel, Unity, was built in 2009 and has been used in the murky trade of transporting Russian oil under shifting registries to dodge Western sanctions. In August, it switched its registration from The Gambia to Lesotho, but records show the tanker has changed its name and flag four times since 2021 including a brief stint under the Russian flag earlier this year.
For many Gambians, the case sheds light on how the country’s flag has been repeatedly used in international shipping by companies with little or no connection to The Gambia itself. Maritime experts have long warned that some foreign shipowners exploit the “flag of convenience” system, registering vessels in countries with limited oversight.
According to the union, Unity’s 20 crew members are owed nearly $90,000 in back pay as of mid-August. Sailors reported only receiving their June salaries on July 27, while others who already left the ship remain unpaid. They are also demanding compensation for sailing through piracy-prone waters and penalties for delayed wages.
When the vessel’s Gambian registration expired on August 5, ownership documents were transferred from Russia’s Argo Tanker Group to UAE-based Petroleum United FZCO. But crew contracts still listed Argo, creating confusion over who was legally responsible. Insurance documents were also changed at the same time.
Olga Ananyina of the Russian Seafarers’ Union said sailors fear their contracts may now be invalid due to the flag change, which could undermine their ability to seek insurance protection if their wages go unpaid.
Russian port inspectors carried out an inspection in Murmansk on August 28 and confirmed a string of violations: unpaid wages, expired paperwork, and a faulty satellite communication system. Officials refused to let the tanker sail until the problems were resolved. Local media put the outstanding wage bill at 4.9 million rubles plus an additional $28,500.
Although the ship briefly appeared on tracking systems as “underway” on September 2, observers suspect the signal was spoofed and that Unity remains detained.
The tanker is under sanctions from Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland for helping Russia move oil above the Western-imposed price cap. In January this year, the United States sanctioned its operator, Argo Tanker Group, which lists a Moscow address and is owned by JSC ATG Holding.
The case is not isolated. The Russian Seafarers’ Union said Argo also owes more than $130,000 in wages to the crew of another vessel, the Dignity, which still flies the Russian flag and transports oil from Murmansk.
For The Gambia, the affair raises uncomfortable questions about how its flag has become entangled in the shadowy business of sanction-busting oil shipments, exposing sailors to poor conditions and tarnishing the country’s international reputation.
