Myanmar’s Military Relies on ‘Ghost Fleet’ to Fuel Deadly Air Strikes, Amnesty International Finds
YANGON, Myanmar – The Myanmar military is increasingly relying on a shadowy network of vessels employing deceptive shipping practices to import jet fuel used in escalating aerial attacks against civilians, according to a new investigation by Amnesty International. The report, released Tuesday, details how the junta is circumventing international sanctions with tactics mirroring those used by countries like Russia, Iran and North Korea.
The investigation reveals a 69% surge in aviation fuel imports into Myanmar in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching 109,604 metric tonnes – the highest amount since the military coup in February 2021. This increase coincides with 2025 becoming the deadliest year on record for aerial attacks by the military, Amnesty International stated.
“Five years after the coup, our analysis shows the Myanmar junta continues to evade sanctions and find new ways to import the jet fuel it uses to bomb its own civilians,” said Montse Ferrer, Amnesty International’s Regional Research Director. “Every day of inaction will cost more lives.”
The report focuses on the use of “ghost ships” – vessels that switch off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking, manipulate their location data (“spoofing”), and frequently change names, flags, and ownership to obscure their origins. These tactics make it extremely difficult to identify the suppliers of the fuel.
Amnesty International tracked at least nine shipments of aviation fuel delivered to Myanmar between mid-2024 and the end of 2025 by four vessels. Evidence strongly suggests a connection to Iran, with two US-sanctioned vessels with a history of exporting fuel from the country identified in the supply chain. Commodity intelligence platform Kpler assumes all shipments on these two vessels originated in Iran, a finding supported by satellite imagery reviewed by Amnesty International.
The vessels identified include:
- HUITONG 78 (now called BARAAWE 1): Delivered a shipment in July 2024 while its AIS radar was off, likely loading fuel in the United Arab Emirates.
- YONG SHENG 56 (now called LS MERCURY): Transported a shipment in July 2024, also after being sighted in the UAE.
- REEF (formerly BALTIC HORIZON): Delivered shipments in October 2024, July 2025 and October 2025. Satellite imagery places this vessel at Bandar Abbas, Iran, despite AIS data indicating otherwise. The AIS data also showed unusual “box-shaped” loitering patterns.
- NOBLE (formerly ASTRA): Delivered four shipments between January and June 2025, also turning off its AIS radar. Satellite imagery also placed this vessel at Bandar Abbas, Iran.
Both REEF and NOBLE have been previously identified by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as having transported sanctioned fuel from Iran.
The findings build on previous Amnesty International reports documenting the jet fuel supply chain to Myanmar. A 2022 report, co-authored with Justice for Myanmar, identified companies in Singapore and Thailand involved in the supply. Subsequent analyses in January and July 2024 revealed a shift towards more complex, opaque methods of procurement, including routing fuel through Vietnam to obscure its origin.
The escalating violence and the junta’s ability to circumvent sanctions raise serious concerns about the international community’s response. Amnesty International is calling for a complete ban on aviation fuel sales to Myanmar and for all companies involved in the supply chain to withdraw.
The situation in Myanmar remains a critical humanitarian and political crisis. The military coup in 2021 ousted the democratically elected government, leading to widespread protests and a brutal crackdown by the junta. The United Nations has repeatedly condemned the violence and called for a return to democracy. The continued flow of jet fuel is directly enabling the military’s ongoing attacks on civilians, exacerbating the crisis and prolonging the suffering of the Myanmar people.
Link to Amnesty International Report
Link to Justice for Myanmar
