Gabon, with a population of just 2 million, supports the Russian superpower. The country's ruling military junta helps Russia bypass sanctions by allowing its tankers to fly its flag and selling them aircraft parts. Last year alone, it supplied Moscow with $1.5 billion worth of them.
In 2023, a total of Russia sanctioned aircraft parts worth almost $2 billion, of which $1.48 billion went to the Gabonese-registered company Ter Assala Parts.
Gabon trades with Russia
Small Gabon, with a population of around 2 million, although it is not one of the poorest countries in Africa, does not produce any of the components needed for aircraft production. Instead, it sells oxygen masks, used on-board computers, ground collision warning systems and fuel gauges to Russia, as well as used American engines for Boeing 737 and Airbus A320/A321 aircraft.
Boeing 737 (illustrative photo)Ceri Breeze / Shutterstock.com
As reported by The Moscow Times a few months ago, the Gabonese company is run by an unknown citizen of the Central Asian republic. Kyrgyzstanand Ter Assala Parts is likely a front company registered in another country that does business through Gabon.
Exports of aircraft parts from Gabon to Russia began in August 2023, the same month that the military staged a coup that overthrew President Ali Bongo Ondimba and replaced him with General Brice Oligui Nguema. The coup also meant a loss of favor among Western countries, which Russia took advantage of by almost immediately flying the Gabonese flag on its fleet of tankers carrying sanctioned oil. It had previously had to fly the flag of another West African country, Liberia, which had stopped servicing Russian ships under pressure USA.
According to a recent Bloomberg report, Gabon’s registered gross tonnage of ships (GT) rose from just over 1 million in 2022 to 3 million in 2023, reaching 7.4 million GT in April 2024. This increase reflects the number of ships registered in Gabon, which rose from 126 in 2023 to 217 in April 2024. Almost all of them are operated by sanctions-evading Russian tankers.
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