Wednesday, May 29, 2024

 

Report: Add Emissions to List of Shadow Fleet Violations

tanker
Shadow fleet is contributing to harmful emissions reports Reuters (file photo)

PUBLISHED MAY 29, 2024 3:47 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

There continues to be a lot of talk about all the challenges presented by the dramatic growth of the so-called shadow fleet of tankers working outside most regulations. While much of the attention has been on ships violating the G7 Russian price cap, there also continues to be a flourishing trade in Iranian and Venezuelan oil on equally problematic vessels.

Reports have focused on issues such as lax inspection standards, the use of false identities, masking identities and locations, and concerns over satisfactory insurance. Recently, there was the case of the tanker carrying Russian oil that was involved in a minor fender-bender accident off Denmark which reportedly presented falsified papers. The vessel was not detained (it was recently shot at by the Houthi in the Red Sea) but reports are that Denmark may pursue legal charges.

Add to the long list of concerns emission violations according to a new analysis from Reuters. In an effort to save money on their operations, the dark fleet as it is often called is believed to be using mostly high sulfur fuels. The International Maritime Organization four years ago in 2020 mandated the use of exhaust scrubbers on vessels still using heavy fuel oil or a switch to cleaner burning low sulfur fuels.

Environmentalists frequently cite the numbers that shipping annually causes around three percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. The industry’s efforts are aimed at reducing CO2 but also other pollutants, such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds.

Reuters in its report highlights the depth of the problem calling out the dramatic growth in the shadow fleet. Lloyd’s List Intelligence is cited as saying the shadow fleet numbered 280 to 300 vessels before 2022 and the start of the war in Ukraine. It jumped Lloyd's estimates to 530 vessels in 2023 and now is around 630 tankers, a 14.5 percent increase.

Other sources suggest the number is much larger when all the tankers transporting Iranian and Venezuelan, in addition to Russian, oil are factored in. TankerTrackers.com reported in mid-May for example that there were 163 VLCCs involved in the Iranian oil trade and just yesterday they said two vessels were added to the dark fleet. Allianz in its annual industry review speculated the dark fleet could be as many as “1,400 vessels, roughly a fifth of the overall global crude oil tanker fleet.”

"The dark fleet has gone on steroids,” Lloyd’s List Intelligence’s Michelle Wiese Bockmann told Reuters. “And the deceptive shipping practices that they're engaging in are getting more and more complex and sophisticated."

Reuters cites an analyst who says many of the vessels lack scrubbers. Yet they are buying high-sulfur fuels in Russia, saving as much as 20 percent on their fuel costs.

The report admits it is difficult to gauge the extent of non-compliance with IMO regulations, but they cite an increase in vessel detentions due to sulfur rule violations. Reuters reports at least 10 ships have been detained so far in 2024, up from six in the same period of 2023. For the whole of 2022, they report only five vessels were detained on sulfur violations. Further, they calculate that nine of the 10 detained vessels had made calls in Russia.

There are reports that the EU is looking at more stringent sanctions and efforts to further reign in the shadow fleet. The U.S. sanctions have worked at stopping some vessels but only a small fraction of the shadow fleet has been affected with the vast majority of the ships continuing to operate and avoid regulations.  


UK Asks Brokers to Give Up Profitable "Dark Fleet" Tanker Sales

Sanctioned Russian product tanker under way off Portugal, 2024 (Portuguese Air Force file image)
Sanctioned Russian product tanker under way off Portugal, 2024 (Portuguese Air Force file image)

PUBLISHED MAY 28, 2024 4:32 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

More than a few Western tanker brokers have had a profitable run since the imposition of restrictions on Russia's oil trade. Over the course of the past two years, Russia-serving operators have built up a 750-strong "dark fleet" of aging secondhand tankers, often paying outsize prices for scrap-ready tonnage. Many of these deals have been negotiated through London-based brokerage houses, and the UK's Department for Business & Trade is encouraging industry-leading brokers to forego the profits associated with Russia-linked business and comply with sanctions measures instead. To clarify its expectations, it has issued a list of the telltale signs of a "dark fleet" sale, echoing past industry news coverage and analysts' reports. 

The Western sanctions on Russian oil include a ban on facilitating cargoes valued over $60 per barrel. Since most cargoes are now sold for more than that limit, and U.S. and UK authorities have begun enforcing the ban, Western tanker owners and insurers have been stepping away from the Russian oil trade. This has prompted a new constellation of Russia-serving operators to amass their own fleet by quietly buying up used Western tonnage, typically using opaque ownership structures in permissive third countries. 

"Some of these tankers may be old (15+ years) and sold at a significant premium above the historic market price for these types of tankers given Russia’s urgent requirements for vessels. As such this market is likely to remain lucrative to prospective sellers," noted the agency. "It will therefore be important for industry actors to be mindful of this context, capturing it within any due diligence processes."

Tankers are a "restricted good" under sanctions on Russia, and the agency reminded brokers that they are not allowed to facilitate these transfers, even when the sale takes place through an intermediary or a third nation. Well-known risk factors to watch for include: 

- high prices for older vessels
- unusual country of ownership, or country of ownership linked to the existing "dark fleet"
- vague or fraudulent documentation
- obscure, complex ownership structures
- buyer linkages to restricted goods, Russian interests, or sanctioned business partners
- Unusual or opaque payment methods
- Buyer reticence or lack of transparency during the due diligence process
- High-risk trade patterns and destinations, including ports adjacent to sanctioned countries, voyages outside of normal trade patterns, or nations known to tolerate sanctions violations

"Industry participants are advised only to conclude deals where they are confident that a process of cross-checking of these risk indicators provide reassurance that compliance thresholds are met," warned the department. "Any non-compliance with UK sanctions is a serious offense and punishable through large financial penalties or criminal prosecution."

 

Opinion: Time to Enforce the Polar Code in Canada's Arctic Waters

Satellite image of Canadian Arctic

PUBLISHED MAY 29, 2024 6:49 PM BY PIERRE LEBLANC

 

 

Global warming is gradually increasing maritime access to the Canadian Arctic which has led to an increase of maritime traffic. The immediate concern is not with the traditional annual community resupply shipping companies who are well experienced navigating those waters, but more with adventurers, super yachts, and cruise ships. In the future, in addition to the disappearing ice, the present water restrictions of the Panama Canal, the ongoing security issues with the Red Sea, the relationship with Russia and its Northern Sea Route, and piracy in the Strait of Malacca, we may also see an increase with transoceanic commercial traffic through the Northwest Passage.

More cruise ships are entering the waters of the Arctic Archipelago to experience the fabled Northwest Passage. Unfortunately, cruise ships running aground in Canada is not a theoretical exercise as three of them have already have done so. The Hanseatic in 1996 ran aground “because the bridge team did not strictly adhere to the plan that had been prepared for navigating the vessel through the strait. Relying on a navigation buoy left in the strait from the previous navigation season contributed to the grounding.” The MV Clipper Adventurer near Kugluktuk ran aground in 2010. Its forward-looking sonar was inoperable. The Academik Ioffe ran aground in 2018 some 78 nautical miles north-northwest of Kugaaruk. In that case, “While transiting the narrows, the officer of the watch was multitasking, the helmsman was busy steering the vessel, and no other crew were tasked with monitoring the echo sounders and keeping lookout. As a consequence, they did not notice the under-keel water depth steadily decrease. The under-keel low water depth aural and visual alarms for both echo sounders were turned off.” 

Also worrisome is that several fuel tankers have run aground in the Arctic: the Mokami in October 2010, the MV Nanny in February of 2012 and 2014, and the Kivalliq W in October 2022. All of those occurrences were avoidable. Fortunately, nobody was injured, and there was only a minor environmental impact. We might not be so lucky next time.

One of the older maritime conventions of the International Maritime Organization is called the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), 1974. It is focused on preserving life at sea through regulations and inspections “to ensure that, from the point of view of safety of life, a ship is fit for the service for which it is intended.” The regulations apply to the ship as well as the life-saving appliances. Under SOLAS Regulation 7, Surveys of Passenger Ships, there is a requirement for periodical survey once every 12 months. Specifically, “The periodical survey shall include an inspection of the ... life-saving appliances … is in satisfactory condition and fit for the service for which it is intended.” Life-saving equipment being “fit for service” is very important for ships operating in the polar regions.

The International Maritime Organization adopted a Polar Code in November 2014 with the aim of reducing the loss of life at sea caused by the lack of preparedness to operate in the polar regions which are more isolated and challenging in which to operate. The Polar Code entered into force on Jan. 1, 2017. It sets several standards, such as ship design and construction, and qualifications of the crew and safety equipment on board. Although the Polar Code isn’t perfect and doesn’t address all the challenges of operating in the polar regions, it was deemed to be a major step in improving operations in those areas. It specifically called for a high standard of design for the survival equipment.

Serious maritime accidents happen almost daily: loss of power, allisions, loss of steering, groundings, and fires. If a ship loses the ability to steer it can quickly get into significant trouble. The recent destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore by the ship MV Dali provides a clear example of how quickly a situation can lead to disaster when a ship loses its controllability.

Another good example of what could happen took place off the coast of Norway when the cruise ship Viking Sky lost power in a storm. On March 18, 2019, the cruise ship Viking Sky issued a mayday distress call after engine problems in heavy seas off Norway’s western coast. At the time, it was carrying a complement of crew and passengers of 1,370 people. In very rough seas, the vessel started to drift towards the coast. The sea conditions were such that it was deemed unsafe to deploy the emergency lifeboats. A frantic rescue effort was made to evacuate the passengers and crew by helicopters. In challenging weather conditions and a ship swaying severely in all dimensions, several helicopters managed to airlift some 400 passengers to safety by the time the crew managed to restart one engine, and sail away from the coast. Dozens of people were injured, and several had to be hospitalized. Had the ship ran aground, the waves would have repeatedly smashed it against the shore. Passengers and crew may have had to abandon the ship by jumping into frigid waters without proper protection.

In the case of the Akademik Ioffe grounding mentioned above, the research vessel Akademik Sergey Vavilov provided assistance by taking on board the passengers of the Akademik Ioffe. However, it departed the grounding site for Kugaaruk, Nunavut, to deliver those passengers after having been granted an exemption from Transport Canada to sail with 100 persons more than the vessel’s lifesaving equipment capacity. This created another dangerous situation. Fortunately, all were delivered safely.

To contrast these ships, there is the Commandant Charcot of the Ponant Fleet. It is an actual icebreaker, as opposed to an ice-strengthened expedition vessel. It operates with an experienced crew. It has participated in several Arctic search and rescue exercises with national Coast Guards, and is equipped with the latest survival equipment. Furthermore, it has been involved in testing several types of equipment for the passengers and crew to survive several days after abandoning ship.

In the Canadian Arctic, search and rescue (SAR) assets may be hours or even days away depending on where an incident happens. In the case of the Clipper Adventurer near Kugluktuk, it took 42 hours for the Canadian Coast Guard vessel to arrive. In the Canadian Arctic, ships providing assistance face several challenges. They will invariably have to proceed slowly because of ice-infested water, poor weather, and the fact that much of the Arctic Archipelago is only partly charted. Search and rescue aircraft of the Canadian Forces are located in the south on bases such as Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg. The stand-by SAR aircraft should normally be able to take off within two hours. The faster CC-130 Hercules aircraft will reach the Arctic faster, but they are not equipped with a forward-looking infrared radar (FLIR). They use onboard observers, a much less efficient system.

The new SAR aircraft, the slower CC-295 Kingfisher, with a cruising speed of 260 nautical miles, will reach the Northwest Passage—some 1,100 nautical miles away—in about eight to 10 hours. Because of its limited range of 730 nautical miles, it will have to refuel en route adding to the time to reach the search area. However, they are equipped with FLIR which will make the search more efficient and faster against a very cold background. By then, however, the survivors may have been in cold Arctic waters for 10 or more hours. Unless the survivors have the appropriate level of protection, the search and rescue will likely become a search and recovery operation.

The Polar Code requires vessels that will operate in polar waters to obtain a polar certificate attesting that the ship, its crew, their qualification and life-saving appliance meet the requirements of the Polar Code. The issuance of those certificates is done by the vessel’s class societies acting as a “recognized organization” to the ship’s flag administration. There are several societies that issue the polar certificates such as the American Bureau of Shipping, Bureau Veritas, and Lloyds Register. Those societies have a duty to perform due diligence prior to issuing those polar certificates.

To increase search and rescue operations in the Arctic, on May 12, 2011, in Nuuk, Greenland, the Arctic Council put in place the Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue in the Arctic. It is a legally binding agreement between Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. It was recognized that the distances, the weather, and the paucity of SAR assets in the Arctic were such that countries had to work together. This agreement, along with the Polar Code will hopefully reduce the loss of life in the Arctic.

At a recent meeting of the Canadian Maritime Advisory Council, Prairie and Northern Region, Transport Canada has indicated that it will increase the inspection of vessels operating in the Canadian Arctic. This is welcome news as it will encourage ship owners to make sure that their ships have the proper design, that the safety equipment—such as forward-looking sonar—is on board and operational, that the crews are qualified, and that having the proper survival equipment will allow survivors to stay alive for that minimum period of five days.

The Polar Code has been in effect for more than seven years. It aims to reduce the risk of an accident and loss of life in the polar regions which are still isolated and very challenging environments. It is time to enforce it in the Canadian Arctic.

Colonel (Retired) Pierre Leblanc is an experience Arctic practitioner. White Glacier is one of his clients.

This article originally appeared in The Hill Times and may be found in its original form here

BRITAIN


General Election 2024: End the Tyranny of Conservative Rule


STATEMENT BY ANTI*CAPITALIST RESISTANCE


MONDAY 27 MAY 2024, BY ANTICAPITALIST RESISTANCE



This statement by Anti*Capitalist Resistance was published on 22 May when the prime minister Rishi Sundak announced the British general election for 4 July

1. As socialists, we are clear: the Conservatives are the class enemy who represent the interests of big business and some of the most reactionary ideas in our society. As the founder of the NHS, Nye Bevan, said, “they are lower than vermin. They condemned millions of people to semi-starvation.” Any crushing defeat for the Tories is something we celebrate, along with millions of other working people exhausted by 14 years of austerity, vicious racism, and callous disregard for the cost of living. This is why we do not hesitate to say: Kick the Tories out, keep up the struggles, and organise the resistance!

2. What do we mean by ‘keep up the struggles’? Under a new Labour government, there’s no time to pause or ease up in our fight. Waiting for them to ‘settle in’ is a luxury we can’t afford. We are clamouring for a progressive shift from the previous Tory regime—that is clear. The unions must demand that a Labour government be a catalyst for radical change, not a reason to become inactive.

3. This election makes the 22 June London protest calling to Restore Nature Now even more important. We need to keep up the pressure. The demonstration should be a clarion call to all politicians and civil society that the environment is the central battle because it is not about some other separate issue; it is about the very basis of life on this planet. We have to fight to build our movements even during election periods; the battle of politics will be won through mass forces taking action to fight for the future.

4. Labour policies rarely diverge significantly from Conservative ones, but Labour’s foundation in the mass trade union movement and its integration into these working-class organisations is a unique advantage. This presents an opportunity to advocate for a socialist agenda using more avenues to power than we have under a Tory government. The unions should leverage this influence to drive policies on wages and working conditions that address the cost of living crisis. Labour must eliminate all anti-union legislation and establish a ‘bill of rights’ for working people. It means a fight to reverse a decade of austerity that has devastated our communities and lives. King’s College London estimated that around 148,000 people died due to government austerity policies between 2010 and 2020.

5. There are some obvious policies that need to be addressed immediately: scrap Rwanda legislation; end the war on refugees and the immigration raid; scrap the Cass recommendations; implement rent controls now for housing, scrapping the right to buy, and a massive expansion of council housing; end the blight of food banks through higher wages and better social security; end the two-child benefit cap. A Labour government must call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and halt all arms sales and other strategic support for Israel, scrapping the recent restrictions on the right to protest and organise.

6. We are in solidarity with the oppressed after the election, but also in the context of the election, which we anticipate will prominently feature the “culture war” and foresee a heightening of attacks. Refugees (with immigration raids and the Rwanda deportation policy), disabled people (with attacks on social provision), Gypsy, Roma, and Travellers (with legislative attacks on their way of life), trans people (facing attacks on medical autonomy and increasing hate crimes), Muslims (with Islamophobia set against the ongoing genocide in Gaza), and Ukrainians and Palestinians fighting for their national liberation against horrific colonial violence.

7. Two Conservative climate policies were ruled unlawful by the courts for failing to provide enough evidence that there were sufficient policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A Labour government must prioritise the climate, end North Sea oil and gas extraction, and rapidly shift towards a low-carbon economy with free accessible public transport and renewable energy. Their attacks on democratic rights to protest have also been declared unlawful by the Supreme Court.

8.Emergency funding and radical reform of the NHS based on co-production, with full bodily autonomy (for women, disabled people, trans people, and everyone) should be guaranteed in its constitution.

9. After the election, we should be watchful and ready to organise against any resurgence of the far right, many of whom are waiting for a ‘woke’ Labour government to start mobilising, especially taking advantage of reactionary social resentments increasingly expressed by younger men. Even the lukewarm measures of a Labour government are too much for these enraged fascists, so determined to obliterate any sense of hope for a better future. We can see the growth of Reform UK to the right of the Tories as evidence that the bitter pain of capitalism is forcing not insignificant numbers of people into the arms of reactionary politics, where they see racist hate against refugees as the only way to make sense of the world.

10. As an anti-capitalist organisation, ACR is clear that no elections to parliament can solve any fundamental issues people struggle with. Parliament isn’t neutral under capitalism, and it is wrapped up with the power of capital. Democracy under capitalism is limited and distorted; limited to only the realm of ‘politics’ and not the wider economy where we spend most of our lives working; distorted by wealth and tradition, weighed down by money flowing into the media, advertising, and promotion for the parties backed by the rich. We stand for a more radical vision of society—one where we have participatory democracy, workplace control, and a socialised economy based on human need, not private profit—a society aligned within planetary boundaries, not wrecking our environment in the name of growth and business. A world of radical abundance and public wealth, not one of scarcity and misery for billions. This is our vision of the future world—it is one we are committed to fighting for.

Source Anti*Capitalist Resistance.

P.S.

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IRAN

The mullahs weakened, the people’s struggle continues


WEDNESDAY 29 MAY 2024, 
BY BABAK KIA


The death of President Raissi on 19 May in a helicopter crash will not really affect the way the Islamic Republic operates. In the current institutional system, the real power is held by the Leader, who decides on the main policy directions. The President is merely number 2, an executor.


That said, Raissi was tipped to succeed the ailing 85-year-old Leader Ali Khamenei. From this point of view, his death weakens Mullaharchy. It will inflame tensions within the clans that share power and wealth and open the way for future popular uprisings.

Raissi’s death was certainly the subject of a staged national mourning by the authorities. The regime is hastily going to elect a new president on 28 June. But what is important to remember are the spontaneous celebrations that erupted when Raissi’s death was announced. From Tehran to Saqez in Kurdistan (Jina Mahsa Amini’s home town), the population expressed their joy more or less openly, in the absence of any chance of judging Raissi for his crimes.

THE “BUTCHER OF TEHRAN”

Raissi’s CV goes a long way towards explaining the public’s detestation of him and the Islamic Republic. In the 1980s, Raissi was deputy public prosecutor in Tehran. Under Khomeini’s orders, he led the crackdown and had around ten thousand political prisoners executed at the end of the war against Iraq.

The regime’s aim was to eliminate any possibility of dissent and eradicate the militant generation that had opposed the Shah’s dictatorship but also rejected the dictatorship of the Islamic Republic. A deputy prosecutor but also an executioner, Raissi was denounced by survivors of this bloody wave as the man who killed opponents with his own hands. His role in the executions of 1988 earned him the nickname of the “Butcher of Tehran”.

More recently, under his tenure as President of the Republic, he reactivated the vice squad. He bears direct responsibility for the harassment of women, the death of Jina Mahssa Amini and the violent repression of the “Woman Life Freedom” uprising. He has also imprisoned and tortured trade union leaders, environmentalists, human rights activists, women’s rights activists, children’s rights activists and artists. His economic and social record is disastrous. Hit by inflation of 70%, almost 60% of the population lives below the poverty line. At the same time, the regime’s leaders, the Guardians of the Revolution and their relatives have become extremely wealthy.

SOLIDARITY FROM WORLD LEADERS

It is easy to understand why no one is mourning Raissi’s death... no one except the dignitaries of the regime, their regional allies, some of whom are absurdly and criminally camp, but also the leaders of certain European states or states in the region who, following the example of Turkey, have offered their assistance in the hope of finding Raissi alive. Even NATO offered its condolences... When it comes to saving a head of state, world leaders show solidarity, despite their differences.

But in Iran, no one forgets that these same regional and European leaders are never in a hurry when it comes to saving the thousands of Iranians who have fallen victim to natural disasters or to the regime itself. Nobody forgets the criminal migration policy of the European Union, which refuses asylum to those fleeing the dictatorship.

In their struggle against the Islamic Republic, the people of Iran are relying solely on their own strength and on international solidarity from below.

28 May 2024

Translated by International Viewpoint from l’Anticapitaliste.

P.S.

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