Mark Douglas

Lieutenant Commander RNZNVR, MSc, BE(Hons), CEng, CMarEng, FIMarEST

Mark Douglas is a Maritime Domain Analyst and Naval Reserve Officer who bridges the gap between commercial intelligence and national security.

Drawing on a career as a Naval Officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy, with roles both at sea and ashore in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. Mark applies military-grade rigour to the open-source world. He specialises in the operational and strategic implications of the "Shadow Fleet," providing high-level counsel on sanctions evasion, maritime security, and risk mitigation. His analysis is a primary resource for investigations by Bloomberg and The Insider, and informs the policy debate on maritime enforcement.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-douglas-480953141/www.linkedin.com

Mark Douglas (@maritimekiwi.bsky.social)Bluesky Social

Authored

December 2025

Baltic Backdrop: Sanctions Evasion and the Legal Limits of Maritime Enforcement - Opinio JurisOpinio Juris

October 2023

Protecting submarine cables with maritime intelligencewww.imarest.org

July 2025

Dark fleet tankers: Estonia’s case study warning for Southeast Asiawww.imarest.org

June 2024

Sea robberies: engineers on the front linewww.imarest.org

Quoted

January 2026

There are Russian ghost ships in the Channel and the UK is surrounded by 50 moreMSN

Beyond the seized oil tanker Marinera: Growing fleet reflags to RussiaFrance 24

December 2025

Exclusive - First Images of PLA(N) Flotille in the Philippine Sea

First images of Chinese flotilla reveal assault shipAustralian Financial Review

Satellite images show scale of China's Philippine Sea flotillaabcnews

November 2025

The dark fleet hiding in our own backyard: How the Cook Islands sold its flag to Moscow, TehranNZ Herald

Two vessels refueling Russia’s “shadow fleet” — Rina and Zircone — still receive maintenance in the Baltic, The Maritime Executive reportsThe Insider

October 2025

France has detained a tanker from Russia's "shadow fleet" in the English Channel, which was previously spotted off the coast of Denmark amid a drone threat.

Франция задержала в Ла-Манше танкер из «теневого флота» России, который ранее был замечен у берегов Дании при объявленной угрозе дроновThe Insider

Indian state oil firm claims it will buy only “non-sanctioned” Russian crude, but tracing its origin is difficultThe Insider

Promised Danish crackdown on Russia’s “shadow fleet” means data gathering for sanctions, maritime analyst explainsThe Insider

July 2025

Dramatic increase in number of Russian ‘shadow ships’ in Irish-controlled watersThe Irish Times

Eleven sea robberies in Singapore Strait in one week raises concerns over record-high yearLloyd's List

Oil tankers from Russia’s “shadow fleet” avoid English Channel amid security fears

https://theins.ru/en/news/282783theins.ru

June 2025

Ships Signals Jammed as Israel-Iran Strikes Affect Persian GulfBloomberg

Russian “shadow fleet” tanker without valid registration slips through Estonian waters at night to avoid seizureThe Insider

Exclusive - Russian Warship Escorting Shadow Fleet Tankers

Russian warship escorts sanctioned “shadow fleet” tankers through the English ChannelThe Insider

Russian Warship Spotted Escorting Two Inbound Stateless TankersThe Maritime Executive

Russisch oorlogsschip escorteert olietankers van schaduwvloot door Noordzeede Volkskrant

May 2025

Another "shadow fleet" vessel entered the Baltic Sea without documentation. Under the observation of a Finnish patrol, it was able to escape to Russian waters.

В Балтийское море зашло очередное судно «теневого флота» без документов. Под наблюдением патруля Финляндии оно смогло уйти в воды РоссииThe Insider

Another unregistered tanker has entered the Baltic Sea. Its behavior indicates it belongs to Russia's "shadow fleet."

В Балтийское море зашел очередной танкер без регистрации. Его поведение указывает на принадлежность к «теневому флоту» РоссииThe Insider

April 2025

Zombie Ships Are Fast Becoming a Feature of Venezuelan Oil TradeBloomberg