Using AI to rein in Russia's shadow oil fleet
Russia has launched hundreds of tankers belonging to the "shadow fleet," which is involved in the illegal export of crude oil to China, India, and countries in the Global South in violation of sanctions. Retired U.S. Navy admiral James Stavridis claims there is a way to effectively limit this activity.
In an article published on Wednesday, retired U.S. Navy admiral James Stavridis writes that an international coalition must create a comprehensive list of vessels comprising the Russian shadow fleet. He emphasized in an interview with Bloomberg that using artificial intelligence to analyze satellite images would be very helpful in this.
He suggests that the next step is publicizing and punishing participants in sanction violations. In his opinion, countries allowing their flags to be used for this illicit activity (such as Barbados, whose several ships transport Russian oil) should face secondary sanctions, and fines could be imposed by the International Maritime Organization or directly by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU.
The third—and, according to the admiral, the most controversial step—would be seizing ships involved in breaking sanctions. Stavridis believes that navies honed their skills in this area during anti-piracy operations off the coast of West Africa conducted about a decade ago.
After confiscation, ships would be held in Western ports until their cases were resolved by the courts of the country that seized the ship or by an international body under UN auspices.
Although this approach will undoubtedly lead to legal disputes, if the West gathers solid intelligence on the smuggling of oil and gas under sanctions, it should be possible to confiscate and sell ships with their cargo. Ideally, the proceeds could be allocated to support Ukraine's war efforts. I am in favour of freedom of navigation and international trade, but not when ships violate legal and reasonable sanctions imposed to exert pressure on Putin's brutal regime, emphasized Stavridis.
We must catch up with the shadow fleet, he concluded.
Latvian businessman linked to the "shadow fleet"
The Russian "shadow fleet," which allows Moscow to evade sanctions by exporting resources, now transports almost 70% more oil than a year earlier, increasing ecological risks, reports the Financial Times, quoting data from the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE).
Findings from the Insider portal indicate that Latvian businessman Aleksejs Halavins is one of the main figures involved in Russia's "shadow fleet." Along with companies associated with him, he helped the Russian oil company Surgutneftegaz earn approximately CAD 1.4 billion more by purchasing oil at prices above the imposed limit, the portal determined.
The businessman transported the purchased raw materials to India and China. Furthermore, according to Israel, one of the tankers was allegedly delivering oil to Lebanon's Hezbollah and the regime's Iranian Quds Brigades. The Latvian was also linked to the former head of Russia's Promserioimport, which was sanctioned for delivering fuel to Crimea and Syria.
