Dirty oil, ghost ships and devastating environmental risks! Russia circumvents sanctions with the world's largest clandestine oil tanker fleet

Russia's Ghost Fleet: Over 1.400 Ships Transport Oil Illegally, Turning Off Tracking Systems and Ignoring Safety Regulations

In recent years, Russia’s “ghost fleet” has emerged as one of the most controversial and effective tools for ensuring the country’s continued oil exports despite international sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine. By using vessels that are not properly registered, uninsured and often operating without mandatory identification systems, Russia has managed to circumvent many of the restrictions, keeping oil flowing to key markets such as China and India. This practice, although widely documented, remains a little-discussed issue, but its impact is significant both from an economic and a global perspective. as environmental.

What is a ghost fleet?

A “ghost fleet,” or “dark fleet,” refers to vessels that operate outside the conventional standards of the global maritime industry. These vessels deactivate their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), which makes them invisible to radars and authorities, in addition to sailing under flags of convenience – registrations made in countries that impose little or no supervision on their vessels.

Although this is not a new tactic, as countries such as Iran, Venezuela and North Korea use this tactic to evade sanctions, Russia has taken the use of this fleet to a new level. Since 2022, with the tightening of Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin's government has begun to resort massively to this strategy to guarantee the sale of oil, a crucial source of revenue for sustaining the war.

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The impact of sanctions

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western powers such as the United States and the European Union implemented severe economic sanctions aimed at choking off Moscow’s sources of revenue. One of the main focuses of these sanctions was the energy sector, with a price cap of $60 per barrel of oil exported by Russia being imposed. Western companies were also banned from providing shipping and insurance services to vessels carrying Russian oil sold above this price.

Faced with these restrictions, Russia has resorted to a ghost fleet to circumvent the sanctions. Oil accounts for about 30% of the country's budget revenue, making continued exports vital to sustaining the economy and war efforts. It is estimated that by 2023, Russia already had a ghost fleet of approximately 1.400 ships, the largest number ever recorded.

The environmental and safety risks of this type of oil transportation by ghost ships

The increasing use of this ghost fleet poses serious environmental and safety risks. The vessels are often old, poorly maintained and operate without insurance. This significantly increases the risk of maritime accidents such as fires and oil spills. A prime example occurred in May 2023, when the oil tanker Pablo, flying the flag of Gabon, caught fire while sailing in Malaysia's exclusive economic zone. As it was a ghost ship, local authorities had to bear all the costs of rescue and firefighting.

Between 2022 and 2023, there have been dozens of accidents involving these ships, causing serious environmental damage. A large-scale oil spill caused by one of these ships could generate an environmental catastrophe of major proportions, irreversibly affecting marine ecosystems and the local economies that depend on these waters.

Geopolitical implications and the gray zone of war

The operation of this shadow fleet is part of what experts call “gray zone warfare,” which refers to tactics that fall below the threshold of open military conflict but still cause significant damage. For Russia, this strategy serves a dual purpose: to continue financing its invasion of Ukraine and to impose indirect costs on nations that suffer the consequences of these ships’ irregular operations.

Countries whose waters are crossed by this fleet find themselves in a difficult position. Even when they detect the presence of a ghost ship, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) guarantees the right of innocent passage to these vessels. Blocking the passage of these vessels could trigger political, or even military, retaliation from Russia.

What can be done?

While there are international efforts to regulate and track these vessels, the measures are still insufficient. The Russian ghost fleet operates largely in international waters, beyond the reach of many coastal authorities. There is also a lack of global governance to address this problem on a large scale.

One possible solution would be to implement stricter sanctions against companies operating under flags of convenience, or to tighten controls on the purchase and sale of ships. However, these measures are still far from being implemented.

Russia’s use of the ghost fleet exposes the flaws in a global maritime system that relies on rules that can be easily circumvented. And as long as sanctions against Moscow remain in place, the use of these vessels is unlikely to diminish – on the contrary, as the fleet ages, the environmental and security risks are only likely to increase.

Dirty oil, ghost ships and devastating environmental risks! Russia circumvents sanctions with the world's largest clandestine oil tanker fleet