Lloyd’s List Intelligence has recorded a sharp rise in “flag hopping” — the practice of frequently changing a ship’s registry to evade sanctions.
This trend follows the explosive growth of the so-called “shadow fleet” serving Russia, which has expanded dramatically since Western countries imposed sanctions on Russian oil exports. The latest data from Lloyd’s List offers particularly revealing insights into this escalating phenomenon.
Specifically, flag hopping is rising at an “unprecedented rate” after sanctions, while in addition the average time between the imposition of sanctions on a ship and the change of flag has been reduced by almost half during 2025.
An analysis of Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from Lloyd’s List reveals that the average time from initial sanctions to reflagging a ship has decreased to 45 days (for those sanctioned in 2025), compared to 85 days for ships targeted in 2024.
According to the same data, 218 merchant ships were added to international sanctions lists in 2025 alone, and of these, 78 have already reflagged.
Last year, 323 ships were flagged, with 220 reflagging at least once, and 66% doing so within the first three months of being sanctioned.
