The United States voted against a G7 proposal which would have established a task force to monitor Russia’s dangerous ‘shadow fleet’ of oil tankers.
These ‘shadow’ ships are often ageing vessels which have convoluted ownership, often in a bid to evade Western sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Canada proposed the safety measure ahead of a G7 foreign ministers meeting this week, but the US rejected it.
Diplomats reportedly cited a ‘re-evaluation of its position in multilateral organisations, rendering it unable to join any new initiatives’ when speaking to the G7 about their decision.
Concern around the shadow fleet ranges from security to an environmental disaster, like an oil spill, from the ageing fleet.
An investigation by the Kyiv School of Economics Institute (KSE) found Russia built its shadow fleet and found it bought older vessels for a cheaper price – largely ignoring maritime safety laws.
KSE also wrote that it’s not a matter of if a maritime disaster happens with these vessels – but when.
‘The weak link in the regulatory framework, together with the
dramatically expanded role of shadow tankers in the Russian oil trade means that a major environmental disaster is only a question of time.’
Several close calls with these ageing ships have been reported in recent years, including one collision in Denmark last March.
Then, a 15-year-old oil tanker collided with another ship – avoiding serious disaster, but still ringing alarm bells for European authorities.
Many of the ships, like the one in Denmark, are well over the industry standard age limit of 15 years, which makes them more prone to mechanical failure.
Around Christmas, one of Russia’s ‘shadow’ ships was detained by Finnish authorities after travelling through Finland’s exclusive economic zone.
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