As more countries and businesses shun commerce with Russia, the country’s fleet will be under pressure to conduct dark activity and even engage in illicit shipping to stay afloat, one expert says.
Russian tankers carrying oil chemicals and products are increasingly concealing their movements, a phenomenon that some maritime experts warn could signal attempts to evade unprecedented sanctions prompted by the invasion of Ukraine.
Commercial vessels are required by international maritime law to have their automatic identification system, or AIS, turned on while at sea. Disabling or manipulating a ship’s identification system is at the top of deceptive shipping practices cited by the U.S. Treasury Department in an advisory last May to curb illicit shipping and sanctions evasions.
As more countries and businesses shun commerce with Russia, the country’s fleet will be under pressure to conduct dark activity and even engage in illicit shipping to stay afloat, said Ian Ralby, chief executive of I.R. Consilium, a maritime law and security consulting firm that works with governments.
In many of the cases of dark activity, operations are conducted between a Russian-flagged or owned ship and non-Russian vessels, according to Windward. Ships that conduct operations side-by-side exhibit tell-tale patterns of movements and speed, even if their transponders are off. Satellite imagery can also reveal operations.
Windward has also detected some vessels entering Russian territorial waters and visiting its ports for the very first time, even as the overall number of ships making a maiden voyage to Russia falls.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia-Ukraine live updates: Russia claims 'main goal' is eastern Ukraine 'liberation'Russian forces around Kyiv have fallen into defensive positions and have stopped offensive ground movements toward the capital city, a senior U.S. defense official says.
Read more »
Russia-Ukraine live updates: Biden meets Ukrainian ministers in Poland; Russia focuses on eastern frontThe Pentagon said Russia has halted ground operations aimed at Kyiv, instead focusing attacks on the eastern Donbas region.
Read more »
Russia-Ukraine war: Russia may try to split country, Ukraine intel suggestsUkraine’s military intelligence chief says that Russia could try to break Ukraine in two.
Read more »
Russia-Ukraine live updates: Russian forces 'largely static' in north, UK saysUkrainian emergency responders rushed to put out a fire raging at an oil depot in Lviv, as a result of shelling in the area.
Read more »
Russia-Ukraine war: Russian forces appear to be shifting focus to Donbas regionRussian forces appear to be shifting their focus from Ukraine's capital to the contested Donbas region, possibly signaling a new phase of the war.
Read more »
Without Russia, science going solo on world’s woes, dreams: ‘We are going to lose things’Post-Cold War bridge-building through science is unraveling as Western nations seek to punish and isolate the Kremlin by drying up support for scientific programs involving Russia.
Read more »