MECHTA S
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Uninsured Russian cargo ship camouflaged and with significant AIS gaps
On Aug 10, 2026, the 'Mechta S' was spotted in the port of Haydarpaşa with the sides, bow, stern, and superstructure covered with sharp geometric shapes painted in blue, dark blue, white, and gray. The pattern resembled dazzle camouflage, a disruptive naval paint scheme that became widespread during World War I and was also used during World War II, designed to visually distort the ship’s silhouette, making it harder to determine its size, the location of its bow and stern, its direction of travel, and possible strike points. The Russian vessel was previously named 'Sormovskiy 3059' and belongs to the Sormovskiy class of Soviet-designed vessels built for Black Sea and river-sea routes. The ship still operates in the Black Sea basin. The Ukraine has not yet added the 'Mechta S' to its list of “shadow fleet” ships, and the vessel has so far avoided sanctions. She regularly operates in the Black Sea region, with Novorossiysk the most frequently visited port in the vessel’s available history, with 83 calls, totaling more than 72 days. Its route history also included ports in Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Israel, Egypt, Croatia, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. Shortly before the 'Mechta S' was spotted in Istanbul, the ship had called at Novorossiysk. It then spent a long period in Yalova, where it had arrived around July 15 and stayed until Aug. 10, about 26 days. The ship has significant gaps in AIS data. Over 3,294 days of monitoring, about 930 days and six hours were counted, for which no location data were available for the vessel, roughly 28% of the period covered by the service. Several risk factors were identified for the 'Mechta S'. The vessel’s declared Russian flag did not match the registries it uses, nor was the ship insured through a known P&I club. The 'Mechta S' also regularly called at ports in countries with relatively high perceived levels of corruption. The "Mechta S" was detained on Aug 18, 2025, in Tekirdag with 13 deficiencies. https://theins.press/en/news/295977
Detention in Tekirdag
The "Mechta S" was detained on Aug 18, 2025, in Tekirdag with 13 deficiencies, two of which being regarded as seriously and grounds for a detention: 1) Life saving Appliances - Launching arrangements for survival craft Inoperative 2) Life saving Appliances - Embarkation arrangements survival craft Inoperative The vessel was released again on Aug 20, next headed to Rostov-on-Don, Russia. On Aug 23, it was moored in the Marmara Sea in pos. 40° 47' N 029° 00' E. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576908591
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