Myanmar ‘ghost ships’ import fuel for air attacks, rights group says News
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Myanmar ‘ghost ships’ import fuel for air attacks, rights group says

An Amnesty International investigation found that aviation fuel, used by the Myanmar military in the nation’s ongoing civil war, continues to enter the country on “ghost ships,” the group said Sunday.

Amnesty reported at least nine separate shipments of aviation fuel delivered into the country in 2024 and 2025, uncovering significant changes in how the fuel enters. Among these changes is the use of “ghost ships,” or vessels that turn off their tracking systems, going “dark,” while loading and offloading.

These vessels also broadcast false or misleading positions to obscure data on their location, a practice known as “spoofing”; change their names, flags, or ownership details; and frequently transfer fuel ship-to-ship on open water rather than in ports and terminals. 

Through these measures, the military can disguise the supplier of the fuel used for air raid attacks in the country’s civil war. Despite sanctions imposed to stop fuel from reaching the country, Myanmar Port Authority data shows that at least 109,604 metric tons of aviation fuel were imported in 2025. Statistics show a 69 percent increase from 2024–the highest number since the 2021 coup.

The military government relies on fuel imports, and without them, the government could not power the aircrafts responsible for air strikes against civilian targets, Amnesty said.

Montse Ferrer, Amnesty’s regional research director, called on nations and global leaders to step in, saying:

As aviation fuel shipments into the country increase despite sanctions and the well-documented surge in aerial attacks against civilians, the international community must do more to stop companies and governments from facilitating a supply chain that has increasingly gone rogue. Every day of inaction will cost more lives.

The report uncovered the names of four distinct vessels reported to have imported fuel into the country since 2024 – HUITONG 78, YONG SHENG 56, REEF, and NOBLE. While unable to verify the fuel’s origin or its suppliers, Amnesty noted limited evidence links the vessels to Iran.

The past year has seen more deaths from government air attacks than any other since the conflict began. A UN report released in September 2025 documented a minimum of 6,764 civilian deaths since the coup, with nearly half of all deaths between April 2024 and May 2025 resulting from aerial attacks.

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