Somebody forgot to tell the Ottomans that
Greenpeace France Photographs Uranium Loaded on Ship for Export to Russia
Published Nov 17, 2025 4:46 PM by The Maritime Executive
Greenpeace is calling for an end to the uranium trade between France and Russia after reporting that it has resumed after a nearly three-year hiatus. The group released pictures of containers with spent uranium being loaded onto a cargo ship in the port of Dunkirk and bound for Russia.
At least 10 containers of uranium, clearly marked with dangerous cargo symbols, were observed arriving in the port of Dunkirk, France, on Saturday, November 15, and being loaded aboard the cargo ship Mikhail Dudin (3,030 dwt). Built in 1996, the general cargo ship is owned by a company based in Hong Kong and operates under the Panama flag. The vessel departed France midday on Saturday and reports its destination as Ust-Luga, Russia, a run that Greenpeace says it regularly makes carrying enriched or natural uranium.
France, according to Greenpeace, is dependent on Russia to take its uranium that was spent and reprocessed, as Russia has the only plant in the world that carries out the operation of converting the reprocessed uranium. It undergoes conversion and re-enrichment, with 10 percent sent back to France according to Greenpeace. They report that France’s EDF plans to use reprocessed uranium at its 1300 MWe reactors. Between 1994 and 2013, they report 600 tonnes were used in the four reactors of Cruas-Meysse.
Greenpeace says it protested the shipments in 2022, leading the French government in September 2022 to halt the trade. It had only been resumed in 2021 after previously being halted in 2010. Orano, which supports the nuclear industry, EDF, and Rosatom, are reported to participate in the trade, which sees reprocessed material sent to Russia and a portion returned for re-use in France.
“Emmanuel Macron repeatedly states the need to develop our economic, technological, industrial, and financial independence, particularly from Russia, which he describes as a threat to France and Europe,” said Pauline Boyer, nuclear campaign manager for Greenpeace France. The group points out, however, that the resumption of URT shipments to Russia represents a “disconnect between the French President’s words and actions.”
They are calling for France to report the quantity of reprocessed uranium exported to Russia since 2022, as well as intervening to stop the exports. They are demanding a termination of all import and export contracts.
Greenpeace believe that France has quietly continued the trade because it has massive stockpiles, approximately 35,000 tonnes of reprocessed uranium in warehouses. They believe the underlying objective is to dispose of cumbersome stockpiles of radioactive waste, noting that 90 percent becomes stored waste.
Greenpeace believes that among the future sanctions being discussed for Russia’s energy trade would include blocks on Rosatom’s nuclear trade. It says they are being considered in addition to the continuing blocks on Russian gas and oil. However, they want France to move more aggressively to end the trade immediately.
https://maritime-executive.com/article/greenpeace-france-photographs-uranium-loaded-on-ship-for-export-to-russia
Report: US Destroyer Blocks Sanctioned Shadow Tanker’s Route to Venezuela
Published Nov 21, 2025 12:26 PM by The Maritime Executive
It appears the Trump administration is further tightening its pressure on Venezuela, using one of the destroyers deployed to the Caribbean to spook a sanctioned shadow tanker from approaching Venezuela. Using tracking data, Bloomberg reports the sanctioned tanker Seahorse has attempted to approach Venezuela three times, and each time the U.S. destroyer USS Stockdale has “positioned itself in the path” of the tanker.
Bloomberg reports the situation began on November 13 when the Seahorse first approached Venezuela. It says the vessel made a U-turn, reversing course toward Cuba. The tanker, Bloomberg reports, has since tried two more times to approach Venezuela, but both times has turned back. The vessel’s AIS signal places it north of Aruba, along with several other tankers that are all reporting they are “awaiting orders.”
The Seahorse is typical of the sanctioned shadow fleet, with Bloomberg reporting it has been used for transporting a lighter fuel distillate, naphtha, from Russian refineries to Venezuela. In the past, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has also reported that the vessel was being used in the Iran to Venezuela trade, with both Russia and Iran supporting Venezuela’s need for distillate products to maintain its oil operations.
The 70,246-dwt tanker, which was built in 2004, has had eight names, three of which were in the last two years. It claims a flag of Comoros, which Equasis reports as false, after jumping between Liberia, Panama, and Barbados. The EU sanctioned the vessel in May 2025, and the UK followed in July 2025. Its last listed inspection is October 2024 in the Russian Black Sea, where it was cited for a dozen deficiencies. This included fire safety, lifeboats, steam and pressure pipes, and other operational and safety issues.
Bloomberg writes that the effort to spook the tanker is likely part of a “maximum pressure” policy launched by the Trump administration against Venezuela. The U.S. has moved to block the oil trade and disrupt the flow of narcotics in the Caribbean, which claims are coming from Venezuela-based terrorist organizations. The U.S. has built up its fleet of warships in the region in a show of force, and Donald Trump is reported to be considering military strikes in Venezuela to stop the drug trade and topple the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The United States is also continuing its pressure campaign against Iran. It has launched further sanctions on tankers and companies enabling Iran’s energy trade, as well as the administration’s first sanctions on Russia related to the war in Ukraine.
The U.S. sanctions on both Russian companies Rosneft and Lukoil formally start on Friday, November 21. Analysts report they have already disrupted the flow of oil from Russia, especially to India, as well as to China. Bloomberg, using Kpler data, estimates that there are 50 tankers still heading toward China and India, while many others are holding at various points such as the Baltic. It speculates that nearly 48 million barrels of Russian crude could become stranded at sea.
https://maritime-executive.com/article/report-us-destroyer-blocks-sanctioned-shadow-tanker-s-route-to-venezuela