Shadow Fleet and Other Stories

The shadow fleet is essential to Russia. It’s used for multiple roles, from black market goods to resupplying forces in the field. It is also used to transport fuel to Asia, skirting sanctions.

The best part is that these rust buckets — and they are — are fully deniable assets. Why? They are not Russian-flagged. They are primarily flagged in Panama and Liberia — or, in this case, Djubuti.

Incidentally, we do something similar for an entirely different reason. US companies do not want to be wholly subjected to US Coast Guard and OSHA regulations, so cruise ships are not flagged in the US.

For Russia, this is about evading sanctions. After all, neither Panama nor Liberia are under any sanctions regime. So here we are. Estonia, a small Baltic nation, has finally done what it should have a while ago:

Estonia Detains Tanker of Russia’s ‘Shadow Fleet’

The Estonian Defence Forces stopped the tanker KIWALA in Muuga Bay near Aegna Island on the morning of 11 April — this is the first time the country has detained a vessel from the Russian “shadow” fleet, Postimees writes. Navy Commander Ivo Värk said at a Defence Ministry press conference: “We are checking the documents and legal status of the vessel.”

The tanker was sailing under the flag of Djibouti to the port of…