As the newly renamed crude oil tanker Marinera sailed across the North Atlantic to Russia, it was tracked by the US Coast Guard, part of which had been tracking it for more than two weeks. Ban on Venezuelan oil.
During that time, the ship changed course, changed names and changed flags, shipping databases show. Even the staff It is reported that the Russian flag was painted in haste On the rusted bark.
But that didn’t stop the US from taking control of the ship with the help of the UK, as it was off the southern coast of Iceland on Wednesday. US officials said the arrests were part of Washington’s plan to attack ships it deemed a threat to the security and stability of the “Western Hemisphere”.
Russia has deployed submarines and other warshipsAs for illegal activities in the area, a lawyer said the activity was piracy.
Maritime intelligence experts Windward said they could not recall another instance of a NATO country seizing a Russian vessel in international waters, but they expect more tankers to come under Washington’s control as they ramp up pressure on Venezuela, saying more Russian vessels could be seized in the campaign.
“American regulators are watching,” Michelle Weiss Bockman said. Marine Data Analyst at Windward, an international organization headquartered in London that researches and monitors maritime activity.
“The US has demonstrated that tankers can be intercepted and intercepted in a manner consistent with international law.”
What is unclear, however, is Russia’s response to the crackdown, and more broadly, how it will affect global shadow shipping, a group of ships with unclear ownership structures that use deceptive shipping practices to evade sanctions.
As the size of Russia’s shadow fleet has grown rapidly since Western sanctions were imposed over its invasion of Ukraine, the shadow fleet have been used Iran and North Korea for years.
The United States seized two oil tankers in the Atlantic on Wednesday for what it said were sanctions violations. One of the ships had a Russian flag. US officials say the second was stateless.
Shipwreck
Since December, the US has seized four tankers bound for Venezuela. In December, two were arrested off the coast of the country.r and Two more on Wednesday.
A few hours before the arrest of Marinera American South Command He took control of what he called “stateless, sanctioned, dark ships” operating in international waters in the Caribbean.
The M/T Sofia was carrying 1.8 million barrels of oil. Analysts say Probably to China.
According to Bockman, the ship, which regularly calls at Venezuelan ports, has a history of deceptive practices, and often hides or obscures its location.
Marinara has been operating in the same way and has a long history of trading with Iran and Venezuela since 2021. The ship is believed to have been en route to the Russian port of Murmansk when it was seized.
Bockman said the ship It was fraudulently pointed to Guyana, a country that does not have an international shipping registry. The ship was deemed stateless by international maritime authorities before it was quickly re-flagged to Russia.
The rush to point to Russia
Bockman in the past month, 21 black ships tankers, all fMarked, they made the same change to Russia.
After the first tanker was hijacked on December 10, this new trend accelerated very quickly.,” said Bockman.
Ships are counted by authorities “Falsely Marked” If you think you are headed to a country where you are not legally present, have a suspended registration or if the vessel continues to change flags rapidly in an uncontrolled manner.
If this is the case, they are considered stateless, allowing authorities to board them in international waters under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Bockman believes the risk of being considered stateless and vulnerable to seizure is one of the reasons why nearly two dozen ships were flagged as Russian last month.
On Wednesday, Russia’s transport ministry said it had granted “temporary permission” for Marinera to sail under the Russian flag on December 24. Russian officials have called on the United States to ensure the humane and decent treatment of all crew members and their speedy repatriation.
Marinera was subject to a US federal warrant for transporting sanctioned Iranian oil, and in a briefing with reporters, White House press secretary Carolyn Levitt said the crew could face charges and be returned to the US if necessary.
Russia’s shadow tankers have been slapped with many Western sanctions, but they continue to operate in a tangled network, transporting Russian oil to its biggest customers, India and China.
US actions may trigger more seizures.
Several NATO countries bordering the Baltic Sea have stepped up patrols after a series of cables were cut, sparking fears of sabotage.
Amy Daniels, CEO and founder of Windward, wonders if Washington will consider taking more aggressive action against shadow tankers after Washington’s success in seizing the vessels.
On the other hand, he thinks that Washington’s action to seize the flagged ship may prompt other countries to take similar action.
“Will we see Russia seize US-flagged ships or European-flagged ships? Will we see China do the same?”
“I think we have to ask, what does this mean for countermeasures?”
