Bellona’s Environmental Transparency Center recorded 50 shadow-fleet oil tankers and 18 liquefied natural gas carriers on Russia’s Northern Sea Route by mid-September 2026. The figures cover roughly two months of the summer-autumn navigation season and exceed the 38 oil tankers and 13 LNG carriers recorded during the entire 2025 season.

According to Bellona, 26 of the oil tankers had an ice class of Ice3 or lower, or no ice classification, while 33 were at least 15 years old. The organization warned that limited infrastructure for responding to emergencies could make accidents and oil spills harder to manage in Arctic waters.

Bellona reported that difficult ice conditions prevented several tankers from passing through the Vilkitsky Strait. They instead travelled north of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago, adding approximately 550 nautical miles and experiencing delays of seven to 14 days.

The organization also said the route’s administration stopped publishing incident information in 2025. Bellona cited an insurer’s disclosure of a tanker hull-damage claim involving an icebreaker-assisted voyage. The vessel, date and exact location were not disclosed, and any release of oil remained unconfirmed.