Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, and indeed the survival of the Russian economy as a going concern, is dependent on oil and gas exports. The West and the G7 have attempted to apply sanctions and a price cap to Russian oil, but it is widely known that a “shadow fleet” of tankers, flying many flags and with ownership and management obscure and complicated even by the standards of international shipping, circumvents these measures.
Various nations and alliances have been making attempts to restrict the shadow fleet’s operations but their efforts have been hindered by the restrictions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – the central document of international maritime law. This essentially guarantees freedom of navigation, and as this is a principle the Western powers wish to preserve it is difficult for them legally to restrict it. Boardings or inspections on the grounds of safety or environmental concerns, or questionable flag and insurance practices, have taken place to limited effect. Such operations are complicated by the fact that shadow tankers are nowadays increasingly escorted by Russian warships, or Russian warplanes may become involved. Nobody wants to trigger World War Three.
Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, and indeed the survival of the Russian economy as a going concern, is dependent on oil and gas exports. The West and the G7 have attempted to apply sanctions and a price cap to Russian oil, but it is widely known that a “shadow fleet” of tankers, flying many flags and with ownership and management obscure and complicated even by the standards of international shipping, circumvents these measures.
Various nations and alliances have been making attempts to restrict the shadow fleet’s operations but their efforts have been hindered by the restrictions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – the central document of international maritime law. This essentially guarantees freedom of navigation, and as this is a principle the Western powers wish to preserve it is difficult for them legally to restrict it. Boardings or inspections on the grounds of safety or environmental concerns, or questionable flag and insurance practices, have taken place to limited effect. Such operations are complicated by the fact that shadow tankers are nowadays increasingly escorted by Russian warships, or Russian warplanes may become involved. Nobody wants to trigger World War Three.