Expert Explains Whether the West Can Destroy Russia’s Shadow Fleet

International trade expert Oleg Sarkits explained that Russia’s shadow fleet is very well hidden and camouflaged, but the West is working to impose sanctions and detain every tanker, Politeka reports.

He shared this information on the program “Personality with Serhii Doiko.”

According to the guest, there are currently around 1,200 vessels in the shadow fleet, and sanctions have been imposed on more than 600 tankers. The world is moving toward identifying all these tankers, because, as he notes, the shadow fleet plays a crucial role in financing Russia’s budget.

“But in reality, it's difficult to fully shut down Russia’s shadow fleet, because, first of all, there are many ships. They need to be identified, and certain investigations must be carried out to prove that a specific tanker belongs to Russia’s shadow fleet, that it is owned by a Russian company using flags of convenience — countries that provide their flags to Russian tankers so they can circumvent restrictions and transport Russian oil,” Sarkits explains.

As the expert describes, these tankers often change registration numbers, forge documents, and may switch flags of convenience multiple times during a single voyage. He also notes that Russian tankers frequently turn off the AIS system, which allows identification of the tanker, its cargo, name, and its country or company of ownership. Nevertheless, Sarkits states, Ukraine’s intelligence and its partners are working to identify these vessels.

“There is a system that, via American satellites, allows us to detect a tanker — but what you see is just the shape of the vessel. You can determine its size and track where it came from, but it’s unclear where it’s heading because the AIS system is turned off. However, if we track its trajectory every second or hour, we can understand where it's going. And once it enters the territorial waters of a country with jurisdiction and the ability to impose sanctions, that country can then detain the tanker,” Sarkits concludes.

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