Gambia's maritime administration has begun removing tankers flagged through its privately run ship registry as part of a wider crackdown on false flag and shadow fleet vessels, reports Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.

Maritime AI firm Windward said 20 tankers are listed in the IMO database as falsely flagged with Gambia. Public reports indicate 72 ships have been deflagged for fraudulent certificates, though IMO records still show 104 ships under Gambia's flag, including nearly 40 dark-fleet tankers.

Windward noted Gambia played a central role in facilitating Russian oil shipments after outsourcing registry management to a private contractor in 2023. The flag expanded more than 1,000 per cent in a year, from fewer than 40 domestic vessels to over 110 ships totalling 2.1 million tons by mid-2025, largely from sanctioned tankers.

The move follows similar action by Comoros, which began removing more than 60 tankers in July. Tankers flying Gambia and Sierra Leone flags, both managed by the same Cyprus-based contractor, accounted for 40 per cent of tanker calls at Russia's Baltic ports between October 1 and November 10.

Windward said falsely flagged ships made up another 19 per cent, meaning more than two-thirds of Baltic tanker traffic operated under minimal oversight. Flag-hopping to avoid scrutiny reached new highs in the third quarter of 2025, with some ships cycling through five flags in six months.

Despite EU and UK pressure, Windward estimates more than 550 sanctioned Russia-trading vessels remain active, supported by 17 fraudulent registries. It said Gambia's actions mark progress, but the dark fleet remains more agile than regulators.