Hyperion

The 'Hyperion' has been reflagged to the Russian registry in a calculated move to shield the vessel from potential U.S. seizure, marking the second known case of a shadow fleet tanker adopting the Russian flag after a similar switch by the 'Bella 1', since having been renamed 'Marinera', thus setting a precedent that shipowners and traders were now watching closely. If left unchallenged, the tactic could offer a roadmap for hundreds of vessels seeking to avoid interdiction. Another 1,475 tankers worldwide would be able to use this scenario as a template for their next moves. Actually more than six dozen tankers, many of them fully laden, were waiting in or near Venezuelan waters. Reflagging to Russia could become the next playbook for vessels seeking to escape seizure by U.S. authorities, particularly as enforcement patterns evolve. The 'Hyperion' is notable not only for its reflagging but also for its trading history. The vessel appears to be the first to directly link Russia’s Arctic shipping routes with the illicit Venezuelan oil and refined product trade. In Dec 2025, the 'Hyperion' had loaded a cargo of naphtha in Murmansk and delivered it to Venezuela.

The 'Hyperion', sanctioned by the US for having shipped Russian oil, may be the first ship to test the American naval blockade of Venezuela. The vessel recently arrived in Amuay, home to Venezuela’s largest refining complex. It had loaded supplies in Murmansk at the end of November. The tanker was sanctioned by the US Treasury in January. The US says it is part of a fleet of so-called ghost vessels used to prop up Russia’s energy sector by moving crude and petroleum products in ships that sail undetected because they often turn off and spoof transponder signals.