Malaysian waters see return of oil transfer by ‘dark fleet’ of tankers

A crackdown against two vessels off Penang was the first disruption of such a ship-to-ship oil transfer in the state for over 10 years

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A transfer of oil between MT Nora ship (left) and Rcelebra ship (right) off Penang last month. Photo: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency

Published: 7:05pm, 4 Feb 2026Updated: 7:48pm, 4 Feb 2026

In the dead of night, officers from Malaysia’s maritime agency boarded two tankers that were transferring millions of barrels of oil in the waters off Penang, as the re-emergence of ageing vessels from a shadow fleet in the country’s waters has put the spotlight on the illegal trade in Asia.

The January 29 bust was a rare disruption to a trade worth billions of dollars each year – much of it from sanctioned oil-producing nations Russia and Iran, and involving ships plying the waters in the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea.

The vessels, the MT Nora and Rcelebra, with a crew of over 50 people from China, Myanmar, Iran, Pakistan and India, were boarded by officers from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

By the time the officers arrived, around 2 million barrels had already been piped into the Rcelebra, a supertanker on a European sanctions list for smuggling Russian oil, from MT Nora, the MMEA said.

The transponder on the MT Nora, a device used to broadcast a vessel’s identity, position and course, was switched off to avoid detection.

MT Nora moved to Southeast Asian waters in November, Muhammad Suffi Mohd Ramli, director of the Penang State Maritime Enforcement Agency Office, told This Week in Asia, adding it was intercepted “midway through the transfer”.

Rcelebra and MT Nora have been released on a bond of US$76,433 to a Penang-based company, with the crude returned to the vessels, pending a court decision. The court, which did not name the company, ruled that its representatives must return for the hearing.

Malaysian waters see return of oil transfer by ‘dark fleet’ of tankers

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A crackdown against two vessels off Penang was the first disruption of such a ship-to-ship oil transfer in the state for over 10 years

A crackdown against two vessels off Penang was the first disruption of such a ship-to-ship oil transfer in the state for over 10 years