An oil tanker that’s under sanction for its role in transporting Russian oil appears to have run into trouble off the coast of Algeria and is now drifting in the Mediterranean Sea, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.
The LR2-class vessel Progress was sailing east along the North African coast toward the Suez Canal, carrying a cargo of about 730,000 barrels of Russia’s flagship Urals crude. After passing Algiers on Wednesday afternoon, the vessel abruptly turned north and left the shipping lanes. In the early hours of Thursday, its navigation status changed to “Not under command,” and its speed fell to about one knot, the data show.
Western authorities are scrutinizing the tankers moving Russian oil closely with over 600 of the vessels blacklisted for their role in moving the barrels. Another tanker hauling Russian crude along a similar route was boarded by the French and allied navies on Thursday.
By Friday midday, the Progress was continuing to drift eastward at a speed of about 1 knot, the tracking data show.
The Equasis international shipping database lists the manager of the Progress as Legacy Marine LLC, based in St. Petersburg, Russia. Calls and an email to the company weren’t answered.
The move out of shipping lanes, subsequent change in navigation status and drop in speed point to some kind of mechanical issue.
‘Not under command’:
The Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, defines “Not Under Command” as follows:
The term ‘vessel not under command’ means a vessel which through some exceptional circumstance is unable to manoeuvre as required by these Rules and is therefore unable to keep out of the way of another vessel.
Such circumstances generally include, but are not limited to:
- Steering gear failure
- Engine failure/propulsion loss
- Loss of power
- Unexpected damage
The Progress is under sanction by the European Union and the UK for its involvement in the Russian oil trade. The 19-year-old ship, whose name has been changed twice since it was blacklisted, recently switched its flag to Russia and was entered onto the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping in November.
Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
Topics
Energy
Oil Gas
Russia
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