Shadow Fleet tanker MT Virgo returns after delivering a cargo of Iranian oil on Aug. 24, 2025. The busy shipping lanes in the South China Sea offer a logistical advantage because they are close to buyers in China and India.

British expat Remy Osman has a front-row seat from which to watch the growing “shadow fleet” of vessels off Singapore filled with Russian, Iranian or Venezuelan oil in the process of evading Western sanctions.

Mr. Osman, a salesman in the Asian city-state’s food and beverage industry, has built an internet following in his spare time by documenting the passage of tanker ships that in many cases are part of the illicit trade in oil.

From his apartment, armed with a camera and telephoto lens, he identifies and captures photos and videos of these vessels en route to int

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