Shadow Fleet Tankers Pose Looming Environmental Threat, FT Warns

The Financial Times reports a ‘shadow fleet’ of aging, often uninsured sanctioned oil tankers used to bypass sanctions—posing a real risk of a major environmental disaster. Experts say more than half of sanctioned vessels should be scrapped, with Russia believed to operate hundreds of these ships among about 1,500 shadow tankers globally. Aging and poorly maintained, these vessels have a history of incidents (e.g., in the Kerch Strait and Baltic), and temporary sanctions waivers that allow tankers to move oil complicate efforts to retire the fleet.