Well-known Russian tanker enters the Mediterranean

A familiar entity in the OSINT world entered the Mediterranean this morning through the Strait of Gibraltar, bound for Tartus in Syria. This is the Russian oil tanker YAZ (IMO: 9735323), which has previously been used to transport aviation fuel between Crimea and Syria.

The tanker, too, is no longer using the Black Sea route, likely due to the fear of being targeted by Ukrainian maritime drones, and it comes directly from the Baltic.

When navigating the Baltic, it was escorted by the Russian Navy Baltic Fleet’s Pr.11540 class SKR-772 “Neustrashimy,” whereas today it appears to have crossed the Strait of Gibraltar alone. It is possible that it might later be escorted in the Mediterranean by other units of the Russian Navy.