Remy Osman, a British expat living in Singapore, has turned his rooftop hobby into a citizen journalism endeavor, tracking illicit oil tankers that pass through the Singapore Strait and shedding light on a clandestine trade supporting sanctioned regimes. His online documentation has gained significant attention, highlighting how shadow fleets operate in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
From his high-rise apartment, Osman monitors the Singapore Strait, a vital maritime route where approximately 100,000 ships transit annually, carrying about a third of all globally traded goods. The strait’s narrow geography forces vessels to keep their automatic identification systems on, making it an ideal spot for observing shadow fleets—aging tankers that transport oil for pariah states like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. These fleets use murky tactics such as opaque ownership, frequent flag changes, and manipulating location data to evade international sanctions.
Shadow fleets, also known as ghost or dark fleets, have become crucial for funding Russia’s war in Ukraine, with oil revenues sustaining military operations. The United States has intensified its crackdown, seizing several sanctioned vessels in recent months as part of broader pressure campaigns against countries like Venezuela. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the global shadow fleet has expanded significantly, with estimates suggesting it comprised around 3,300 vessels by December 2025, representing 6-7% of crude oil flows.
In 2025 alone, more than $100 billion worth of crude oil was moved through these sanctioned networks, facilitated by fragmented ownership and ship-to-ship transfers in areas with minimal oversight, such as the waters off Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Osman’s interest began during the COVID-19 pandemic when he was quarantined in Singapore; he started spotting ships from his hotel balcony and later focused on shadow vessels after audience interest grew. His social media posts have gone viral, with one video garnering over 2 million views.
Osman uses simple tools like an iPhone and ship-tracking apps to identify potential illicit tankers by their age, flag registrations from countries with lax regulations, and cross-references with sanctions lists. Enforcement against shadow fleets faces significant challenges due to legal constraints: the Singapore Strait is an international waterway under United Nations law, limiting local authorities’ ability to intervene without broader international cooperation. Countries like the United Kingdom have called for coordinated action, urging flag states and ports to enforce maritime rules more rigorously.
Despite these hurdles, Osman’s work brings public attention to the issue, connecting global affairs to real-time events. He documents vessels like the Sahara, a sanctioned tanker flagged by Guinea, as they pass through the strait. This citizen effort underscores the tension between national security interests and the freedoms of international navigation, prompting discussions on stronger regulatory frameworks to address the clandestine industry.
Looking ahead, shadow fleets pose ongoing risks to global energy markets and maritime safety. As geopolitical tensions persist and sanctions evolve, citizen observers like Osman play a role in holding the illicit trade accountable, highlighting how individual curiosity can illuminate hidden aspects of the global economy and drive calls for enhanced oversight.
