Sanctioned carrier from northern Russia spotted in Libyan port
Escorted by a Russian naval vessel, the Mys Zhelaniya sailed to the Libyan port of Tobruk, satellite images show. The ship is suspected of having delivered weapons.
The Mys Zhelaniya is well known in the Russian North. The 143-metre-long cargo ship has its home port in Arkhangelsk and it is regularly used for shipments of goods to Russian Arctic ports.
This week, however, the Mys Zhelaniya is far away from its icy home shores. Judging from satellite images published by SONARROW, the ship was located in the Libyan port of Tobruk on January 17, 2026. Reportedly, military vehicles and equipment were put to shore. The shipment could also have included S-300 or S-400 radar trucks, SONARROW reports.
🚨🛰️ Exclusive second HD sat pic of cargo MYS ZHELANIYA 🇷🇺 docking in Tobruk, Libya 🇱🇾. Taken on Jan. 17, during a 3-day port call. Her mission is now known: she was actually delivering military equipment, possibly Russian air defense systems.
— SONARROW (@sonarrow.bsky.social) January 20, 2026 at 7:22 PM
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According to Militarnij, a Ukrainian military news portal, the Mys Zhelaniya was escorted by a Udaloy-class destroyer as it sailed from Baltiisk, Kaliningrad region, towards the Mediterranean.
The use of a warship of this class for escort indicates a high value of the cargo delivered, and the recipient is most likely Russia’s African Corps, Militarnij reports.
Following the delivery in Tobruk, the cargo ship proceeded towards the Turkish straits. It is expected to have the port of Novorossiisk as its destination.
Mys Zhelaniya is sanctioned by the US and Ukraine.
According to Equasis, a system for electronic shipping information, the Mys Zhelaniya is owned and managed by Arctic-Trans LLC. Until May 20, 2025 the ship was owned by Transstroy LCC and managed by Eco Shipping.
According to Eco Shipping, the ship is part of its fleet.
Repeated changes of ownership, operatorship, flag states and ship names are common among vessels subject to international sanctions because of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
Over the past few years, the Mys Zhelaniya has repeatedly sailed up the Yenisey River with equipment for Rosneft's Vostok Oil project. It has also been a number of times in the Gulf of Ob and made port calls in Sabetta and Utrenny. In late 2024, it also sailed to Pevek, the remote port on the Chukchi Sea coast.
