shadow fleet
nounEtymology From shadow + fleet.
1
Geopolitics, Government, Politics The collection of vessels utilised by a state to covertly pursue its interests in a way which maintains plausible deniability, such as smuggling to avoid international sanctions, carrying out sabotage, or projecting power in disputed waters.
- The captain of a suspected “shadow fleet” oil tanker detained off the coast of France will go on trial in February accused of failing to cooperate with authorities.2025 October 3, Miranda Bryant, “Captain of oil tanker linked to Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ to go on trial in France”, in The Guardian, →ISSN: