Aminah-Star

On Dec 10, 2025, Ukraine’s security services have detained the 'Gladius' after it arrived in Odesa to load steel pipes. Investigators have uncovered extensive evidence tying the vessel to past illegal calls at the temporarily Russian-occupied Crimea, being part of Russia's shadow fleet and illegally transporting Ukrainian agricultural products. At the time of the detention, besides the captain there were 16 crew members on board, all citizens of several Middle Eastern countries. Law enforcement officers seized voyage plans, navigation charts and communication logs containing evidence of calls to ports in occupied territories. Investigators have opened criminal cases on charges including financing actions against Ukraine's territorial integrity, treason, violations of transport regulations and unlawful entry to/exit from temporarily occupied territory. The vessel has been seized with a view to its potential transfer to Ukraine's Asset Recovery and Management Agency. The ship, formerly known as the 'Aminah Star', switched both name and flag as recently as Oct 30. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed these rapid identity changes were part of a pattern by the vessel’s sanctioned owner to obscure its operations following blacklisting by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. The 'Gladius' had called at Sevastopol at least seven times prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion, exporting agricultural products from Crimea in violation of Ukrainian law. In one documented instance in January 2021, the ship loaded more than 6,900 tonnes of wheat at Sevastopol for export to North Africa. The 'Gladius' entered the Black Sea on Dec 1 before switching off its AIS transponder on Dec 2 while approaching the Ukrainian coast. The SBU has transferred the case to Ukraine’s Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), which will determine the vessel’s future through the courts. ARMA has stepped up disposal of seized ships this year, moving to sell the 'Usko MFU' and 'Anka' in recent months and completing the sale of a Russian tanker involved in a 2018 Kerch Strait incident. Report with photo: https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/12/10/8011194/

..in Aliaga, sailed from Rostock on Oct 16, 2018, with an ETA as of Oct 30.