Thursday, October 17, 2024

Man born with three penises discovered by student researchers

Dan Thompson

A man with three penises has been discovered by a student research team - in only the second ever recorded case of the rare birth defect.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham Medical School stumbled across the “serendipitous discovery” while dissecting the donated body of a 78-year-old man. The man may have gone his whole life without realising he had the remarkably rare condition, the team wrote, though it could have caused him some issues or dysfunctions.

Diphallia, or double penis, is a rare anomaly, which according to the British Medical Journal, affects one in five million males across the world. Triphallia, or triple penis, meanwhile, has only once before been reported, the researchers wrote in the Journal of Medical Case Reports this month.

They added: “These penile morphological abnormalities may not have been identified during his life. However, he may have lived with functional deficits due to the abnormal anatomy of the region, which may include urinary tract infections, erectile dysfunction or fertility issues.”

The first ever case of triphallia, documented in 2020, was in a newborn baby. This new discovery represents the first time the internal anatomy of the birth defect has been described in detail through post-mortem dissection.

The patient, a white male around 6 feet tall and of a medium–large build, appeared to have normal genitalia on external examination. However, dissection revealed “two small supernumerary penises … concealed within the scrotal sac”.

The primary and secondary penis shared a urethra, which ‘coursed through the secondary penis prior to its passage through the primary penis’.

“A urethra-like structure was absent from the smallest supernumerary penis,” the authors wrote.

The team also noted that polyphallia - having multiple penises - may be more common than realised.

They added: “As the inferior two penises were concealed within the scrotal sac, external genitalia appeared normal. This may explain why the abnormality was not observed until post mortem exploration.

“Without any symptoms and additional medical needs, concealed internal penises may not present themselves, preventing diagnosis. Hence, polyphallia may be more prevalent than currently understood.

“It is of clinical importance for healthcare providers to be aware of polyphallia for the diagnosis of patients presenting with urological symptoms and for healthcare interventions, such as simple catheter insertion, urological imaging, and surgery.”

Posted by at No comments:

 

Neolithic human settlement site discovered in north China

Xinhua
17 Oct 2024, 

Posted by at No comments:

Researchers discover hidden tomb beneath Petra's Treasury World Heritage Site

Story by Science X staff
 • 1d 


First vision of Al Khazneh, when exiting the Siq, the narrow and dim gorge leading to Petra. Credit: Azurfrog, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Adiscovery of a secret tomb at one of the new seven wonders of the world has been made by a team of researchers, including academics from the University of St Andrews.

Professor Richard Bates, from the St Andrews School of Earth and Environmental Science, was part of a collaboration carrying out research at Al-Khazneh, the Treasury Building, at the World Heritage Site of Petra, Jordan.

The team found a long-buried tomb with the remains of 12 ancient skeletons beneath the iconic building where more than a million visitors a year come to visit.

The unexpected discovery now features in a new Discovery Channel documentary. The historic excavation is revealed in "Excavation Unknown," a two-part program airing this month with adventurer Josh Gates.

The Treasury sits as the center of an entire city carved by hand into the walls of a desert canyon by the people of the Nabatean Kingdom, 2,000 years ago. Famous as the cinematic resting place of the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the true purpose of the Treasury remains a mystery.

The team received permission to conduct a remote sensing scan and then dig beneath the Treasury. The non-invasive remote sensing was conducted with electromagnetic conductivity and ground penetrating radar.

Professor Bates said, "The main purpose of the survey was to assess the condition of the areas around the Treasury, its courtyard, the plaza, the exit of the Siq and the wadi into which they all feed, in advance of potential future works to divert and better control flood waters."

When the survey found probable underground chambers in and around the Treasury, an excavation plan was designed and carried out by a team from the Department of Antiquities and ACOR. This revealed the presence of a tomb, with burials still in their ancient locations.

Professor Bates said, "The discovery is of international significance, as very few complete burials from the early Nabataeans have ever been recovered from Petra before. The burials, their goods, and the human remains can all be expected to help fill the gaps in our knowledge of how Petra came to be and who the Nabataeans were."

Dr. Tim Kinnaird from the University of St Andrews School of Earth and Environmental Sciences was brought in to sample and date the sediment surrounding the burials and also to sample material from the tomb enclosure. This information provided crucial dates for construction of the walls within the tomb from the mid-first century BC to the early second century AD.

Dr. Kinnaird said, "The tomb was most likely built as a mausoleum and crypt in the Nabatean Kingdom at the beginning of the first century AD for Aretas IV Philopatris. Like many tombs in the valley, few remains have ever been found in the tombs due to their subsequent use and reuse over the last two millennia.

"It's fantastic that we now have the pottery, ecofacts and sediments to date when the Treasury was constructed. Previously we've worked on assumptions and conjectures—to 

One skeleton in the chamber was found clutching a ceramic vessel.

Adventurer and presenter Josh Gates said, "When we spotted what looked like a chalice, all of us just froze. It looked nearly identical to the Holy Grail featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, set in the ancient building directly above the tomb. It was the ultimate moment of life imitating art."

Detailed examination of the vessel reveals it to be the top part of a broken jug, likely dating to the first century BC.

Professor Bates said, "It was an incredible privilege to be able to survey at such an iconic site and to have the geophysics verified with an excavation so soon is a rare opportunity. The extent of the discovery was so unexpected but will likely shed light on not only the Treasury building but also on the whole of the Nabatean society."

Archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman, Executive Director of ACOR, said, "There is so much that we have yet to learn about the Treasury. When was this remarkable structure built, and why? Little did we know that this dig might completely change what we know about The Treasury and help solve the mysteries of the Nabataean people. With the support of the Jordanian government, this excavation is bringing us closer than ever to answers."

Provided by University of St AndrewsT
his story was originally published on Phys.org. 
Posted by at No comments:
Europe-wide train links marred by steep costs, construction

Jonas Martiny / DW

Delays, steep costs and construction work are undermining the dream of a Europe-wide high-speed rail network, with night trains especially susceptible to disruptions.














The Nightjet train from Berlin to Brussels and Paris began again in 2023
Image: Micha Korb/pressefoto_korb/picture alliance

Hopes were high as the Nightjet train took its inaugural journey from Berlin to Paris last December — the first to connect the two cities by night in almost a decade. "This is a highlight for Europe and for the environment," cheered Clement Beaune, the French transport minister at the time. He had traveled to the German capital to celebrate the opening of the new route, which takes around 14 hours and runs three times a week.

"Today is a good day for all travelers and commuters," exclaimed his German counterpart Volker Wissing.

"This is the future of mobility," predicted Austrian Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler. He went as far as proclaiming that "short and medium-haul routes in Europe belong to trains."

Yet one year later, such grand visions have yet to pan out. Although several new routes have been introduced, there are still plenty of hurdles when it comes to expanding Europe's night train network. The Nightjet, for example, hasn't been running since August 12 between the German and French capitals due to extensive construction work in both countries.

The mini cabins on ÖBB night trains are ideal for solo travelersImage: Guiseppe Lami/ANSA/picture alliance

Train operators face a range of challenges, including high track access fees on cross-border journeys. Operational difficulties also come into play, such as lack of construction work coordination in Germany in France.

Then there's the profitability aspect — Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), which operates the connection between Berlin and Paris, reported that the night trains have yet to make a profit.

Others in the industry don't exactly see a sparkling future for night trains in Europe. "There is no real night train renaissance," says Juri Maier, chairman of Back on Track Germany, an NGO that campaigns for the expansion of the night train network. "Yes, there are a lot of speeches being made. But development is actually going in the opposite direction."

The former state railroad companies are still the major decision makers when it comes to policies concerning rail travel. "Everyone is cooking in their own soup," says Maier. "And you can't create a shared market this way."


Night trains over flights

Indeed, many had pinned their hopes on having more night trains in operation around Europe, including organizations campaigning for the environment.

Train routes of around 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) could become real alternatives to climate-damaging flights in the future say some groups. A study by Back on Track calculated that if 32% of flight passengers shifted from air to night trains, 3% of Europe's total greenhouse gas emissions would be cut. But in order to do so, the study found, an additional 2,500 more night trains would be needed.

Perhaps help is on the way? The EU Commission announced it aims to double high-speed rail traffic by 2030 and triple it by 2050 as part of a plan to boost long-distance and cross-border passenger rail services.

"We need to shift a substantial proportion of flight passengers to trains," says Jacob Rohm, expert on climate-neutral mobility at the environmental and development NGO Germanwatch.

Otherwise, the EU's current climate targets won't be reached. Night trains could certainly help, but Rohm points out that "relying on the market alone will not solve this problem. We need stronger European coordination and reliable funding — especially for expanding the rail network." While the night train trend has received plenty of media hype, it hasn't exactly translated into practice.

Construction work and other issues have caused the Nighttrain to suspend its service from Berlin to ParisImage: James Arthur Gekiere/Belga/picture alliance


There is a lack of couchette and sleeping cars

Firstly, there's a lack of night trains. "New sleeper or couchette carriages can be expensive and companies don't want to make that kind of an investment," says Jon Worth, a railway commentator and author.

Some companies, however, have come up with creative solutions to the problem. Railroad company European Sleeper, founded in 2021, for example, uses decades-old couchette and sleeping cars on the route between Brussels and Berlin, although they aren't the most comfortable.

"It's quite difficult to travel by night train in Europe," says Worth. He points out that old train cars, frequent construction work, canceled connections and delays affect passengers on night trains even more than those traveling during the day, since they have fewer alternatives if their ride doesn't go as planned. "If you're unlucky, you have to sit around all night. But if things go well, it's a great way to travel," says the train expert.

Travel blogger Sebastian Wilken agrees. He travels exclusively by train as a way to be more environmentally friendly — and simply because he likes it.

He has completed close to 100 night train trips and knows the ins and outs of what's on offer around Europe. The differences between train companies in the EU can be significant, Wilken says.

On domestic trains in France, for example, there are no sleeping cars, only simple couchette cars. In the UK, on the other hand, you can travel on two extremely comfortable night trains, the Night Riviera Sleeper between London and Scotland and the Caledonian Sleeper between London and Cornwall.


Not as comfortable as a bed

"I've had consistently positive experiences so far," says Wilken. "It's almost always been comfortable." However, he doesn't expect to sleep as well as he would in his own bed and says others shouldn't either.

While traveling he meets people who opt for the train in order to be climate-conscious, as well as those who are afraid to fly, or simply don't want to deal with all the hassle at the airport. "Recently, I've been meeting more and more people who are trying night trains for the first time," he says.

Meanwhile, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) is under no illusions. The demand for night train connections is undoubtedly there, says company spokesman Bernhard Rieder, "but it will remain a niche service."

Short and medium-haul flights in Europe — especially those on budget airlines — won't be entirely replaced by night trains any time soon.

But there's good news for Berliners and Parisians itching for the Nightjet experience. The train service is set to resume at the end of October.

This article was originally written in German.

Edited by: Elizabeth Grenier

Jonas Martiny Reporter, correspondent
Posted by at No comments:

 

700 enterprises closed, 270,000 jobs at risk: Ireland's SMEs demand government action

Khalid Umar Malik
17 Oct 2024,

Posted by at No comments:


NGOs and Media Organizations of Georgia to Challenge the "Foreign Agents" Law in Strasbourg Court

The Foreign Agents Law in Georgia

Georgian non-governmental and media organizations will challenge the so-called “Russian law” in the Strasbourg Court. This was announced at a briefing by Nona Kurdovanidze, chairwoman of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA).

According to her, the severe consequences caused by the “Russian law” will be contested in the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of 16 media projects, 120 civil organizations, and four individuals.

“The ‘Russian law’ is aimed not only at restricting the freedom of civil society and media but also at dividing all citizens and suppressing critical voices. The fight against independent organizations using Russian methods not only violates fundamental human rights but also undermines the unwavering choice of the Georgian people regarding integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.

Despite the Constitutional Court’s failure to fulfill its obligations, our struggle against the ‘Russian law’ continues, and it will surely end successfully,” Kurdovanidze stated.

On October 9, the Constitutional Court did not suspend the implementation of the “foreign agents” law but accepted the lawsuit for consideration. The plenary session of judges made this decision a month after consultations.

The lawsuit was brought by the President of Georgia, representatives of the opposition, non-governmental organizations, and media regarding the compliance of the “Russian law” with the Constitution of Georgia.

The Constitutional Court stated that substantive discussions on the case would begin; however, the plaintiffs’ request to suspend the implementation of the contested provisions until a final decision is made will not be granted.

The decision includes various opinions from several judges, including Giorgi Kverenchkhiladze and Teimuraz Tugushi, regarding the suspension of the contested provisions.

The four lawsuits filed with the Constitutional Court by the president, public and media organizations, and the opposition were consolidated into a single case. The hearings began on August 29.

Arrested protesters in Georgia

What’s important to know about Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ law?

  • The “Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence”, initiated by the ruling Georgian Dream party, was passed by Parliament on May 28, 2024. The legislation establishes a special registry for “foreign agent organizations,” defined as entities where more than 20 percent of funding comes from foreign grants. In a small and relatively poor country like Georgia, this effectively includes nearly all non-governmental organizations.
  • The Parliament adopted this law despite massive protests, persistent calls from Georgia’s Western partners, and the opinion of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
  • After the passage of the law, the US announced the first package of sanctions against the “Georgian Dream” government. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of a “comprehensive review of US-Georgia cooperation.”
  • The European Union also took retaliatory measures. In early July, the EU halted €30 million in aid to Georgia and warned of additional measures to come. Senior EU officials have repeatedly indicated that this law distances Georgia from the EU.
  • On July 11, the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs passed the Megobari Act, which imposes sanctions on those involved in passing the “foreign agents” law.

The Georgian government’s main argument is that similar laws exist in the U.S. and several European countries, including France. According to Georgian Dream, every country has the right to protect itself from foreign influence and demand transparency from its organizations.

However, this comparison is inaccurate because:

The American law FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act), to which Georgian Dream refers, was enacted in the U.S. in 1938, before World War II, and aimed to protect the American public from Nazi propaganda. Neither then nor now did FARA apply to America’s allies and friendly countries.

In France, the law on “Foreign State Influence” includes a specific list of countries to which the law applies. This list comprises countries whose influence France considers a threat, including Russia, China, Turkey, and Iran. The French version also specifically states that this law does not apply to EU countries. The Georgian version lacks such provisions. Consequently, this law directly impacts organizations funded by the U.S. and the EU—friendly and partner countries that support democratic processes and numerous vital projects in Georgia, ranging from healthcare and infrastructure to strengthening civil society.

Furthermore, FARA stipulates that the law does not apply to media or NGOs, only to lobbying organizations. The Georgian version does not have this clarification.

Overall, the Georgian law is similar to the Russian law, which primarily affected media and the NGO sector. As a result, all non-governmental and media organizations not controlled by the Kremlin have been shut down in Russia. Hence, the Georgian law has been dubbed the “Russian law.”

It’s also important that this law contradicts EU legislation. When a similar law was adopted in Hungary, it was annulled by the European Court of Human Rights because it was directly aimed at silencing the media and oppressing NGOs.

Posted by at No comments:
STALINIST SHOW TRIAL

Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan sentenced to life in prison for property fraud while on death row


Truong My Lan was sentenced in Ho Chi Minh city. (AP: Quynh Tran/VnExpress)

In short:

A woman sentenced to death for Vietnam's biggest known fraud has received a life-long prison sentence in another case.

Truong My Lan was found guilty of fraudulently obtaining property, money laundering and illegal money transfers.

What's next?

It is not clear if she will appeal the sentence.

A real estate tycoon on death row in Vietnam has been sentenced to life in prison for fraudulently obtaining property worth billions of dollars.

Truong My Lan, the chair of real estate developer Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, was found guilty of obtaining property by fraud, money laundering and illegal cross-border money transfers, according to state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.

Lan's companies were accused of illegally raising over 30 trillion dong ($1.78 billion) from issuing bonds to investors, according to a police statement released ahead of the trial.

Lan was also accused of illegally transferring $6.79 billion into and out of Vietnam and laundering 445 trillion dong ($2.64 billion), the statement said.

The judges said Lan acknowledged many of her offences but refuted allegations she had directed the bond issuance, Tuoi Tre reported.

A heavy security presence surrounded the sentencing of Truong My Lan. (AP: Quynh Tran/VNExpress)

Reuters could not immediately reach her lawyers for comment.

Nguyen Hieu, a schoolteacher whose life savings of $53,000 was tied up in illegal bonds issued by Lan's company, said the life sentence was fair.

"She deserves the punishment," he said, adding that he hoped the death sentence from the first trial was commuted so that Lan could pay back her victims.

It was not immediately clear if Lan would appeal the verdict and no date has yet been set for her appeal of her death penalty conviction to be heard.

All other 33 co-defendants were found guilty of various charges and received sentences ranging from two to 23 years in prison.

They included Chu Nap Kee, Lan's husband, who was sentenced to two years for money laundering.


Chu Nap Kee, husband of Vietnamese real estate tycoon Truong My Lan, was also sentenced as one of 33 co-accused. (AP: Quynh Tran/VnExpress)

In April, Lan was sentenced to death in a separate trial after being found guilty of embezzlement, bribery and violations of banking rules in a 304 trillion dong financial fraud, the country's biggest on record.

The fraud equated to nearly 3 per cent of Vietnam's gross domestic product.

Her arrest in 2022 sparked a run on one of the country's largest private banks by deposits, Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank (SCB), which was at the centre of the fraud and largely owned by Lan through her proxies.

Lan is among the high-profile business executives and state officials jailed in the communist-ruled country's years-long anti-graft campaign, known as "Blazing Furnace".

Since 2016, thousands of party officials have been disciplined, including former president Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the former head of parliament, Vuong Dinh Hue, both of whom resigned.

In all, eight members of the powerful Politburo have been ousted on corruption allegations, compared to none between 1986 and 2016.

Reuters/AP/ABC
Posted by at No comments:
PAYBACK 

Israel-US billionaire gives Trump $95m for US presidential campaign

October 17, 2024

Miriam Adelson, widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, welcomes Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump to the stage to speak before prominent Jewish donors at an event titled “Fighting Anti-Semitism in America” at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on September 19, 2024 in Washington, DC. [Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

Israeli-American billionaire Miriam Adelson has spent $95 million on her political action committee (PAC) supporting former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, according to the latest data from the US Federal Election Commission (FEC). The data showed that Adelson made four payments to her super PAC supporting Trump in July, August and September.

The total amount paid by the Israeli-American billionaire to the committee since the beginning of this year amounted to $100 million, according to data published on Tuesday, reported Al Jazeera.net.

This super PAC, known as Preserve America, is one of the major political action committees (so-called “super PACs”) that have the right to raise unlimited amounts of money and spend it independently to support campaigns and political figures without directly funding politicians and parties. With the huge sums of money that Adelson has spent, she is one of Trump’s biggest donors this election season, according to Politico.

Adelson is a physician and businesswoman, and the widow of Jewish American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who founded a chain of casinos and owned the Israel Hayom newspaper in the occupation state. He was a major donor who helped take Trump to the White House in 2016, and supported his decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. Adelson was also a major supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Posted by at No comments:
UNIFIL says Israeli army attacked another UN site in southern Lebanon

ZIONIST AGGRESSION IS NOT SELF DEFENSE

October 17, 2024 

A sign marks the northern operational boundary of United Nations Peacekeepers of the UNIFIL force, which has seen multiple injured soldiers due to cross-border Israeli military action against its posts along the Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel, on October 15, 2024 north of Tyre, Lebanon. [Scott Peterson/Getty Images]


The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has said that its peacekeepers observed an Israeli tank firing at their watchtower near southern Lebanon’s Kfar Kela on Wednesday morning, Reuters has reported.

“Two cameras were destroyed, and the tower was damaged,” said UNIFIL. “Yet again we see direct and apparently deliberate fire on a UNIFIL position.”

The UN force reminded “the Israel Defence Forces and all other actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times.”

On Sunday, the UN peacekeeping force said that the Israeli occupation army had stormed one of its sites in the town of Ramya in southern Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to remove the UN Interim Force from Lebanon to “protect them”.

Last week, UNIFIL revealed that its headquarters in southern Lebanon had been subjected to repeated Israeli shelling, which resulted in the wounding of two of its members, sparking a wave of international condemnation.

READ: UNIFIL holding all positions despite direct, deliberate Israel attacks: Spokesperson
Posted by at No comments:
Revealed: Putin's sanctions-busting shadow fleet is spilling oil all over the world


Satellite imagery shows the unforeseen consequences of efforts to hobble Russia’s war economy.


By VICTOR JACK, COSTANZA GAMBARINI, KARL MATHIESEN, LOUISE GUILLOT and HANNE COKELAERE in Brussels

Illustrations by Owen Gildersleeve for POLITICO

October 16, 2024 

On a chilly spring morning in March, British coast guards spotted something unusual around 100 kilometers off the Scottish shoreline: a dark stain, stretching 23 kilometers into the North Atlantic Ocean.

According to an internal analysis prepared by the coast guard’s satellite services and seen by POLITICO, the likely source of that stain was Innova, a tanker roughly the size of the Eiffel Tower that at the time was hauling 1 million barrels of sanctioned oil from Russia on its way to a refinery in India.

Yet the coast guard did little to investigate further, and the tanker — free from any repercussion — continues to trade oil today, helping fill the Kremlin’s war chest more than two years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Innova is just one of hundreds in the world’s so-called shadow fleet, a collection of often aging, poorly maintained ships sailing in defiance of Western sanctions — and spreading environmental harm without consequences.

A joint investigation by POLITICO and the not-for-profit journalism group SourceMaterial found at least nine instances of covert shadow fleet vessels leaving spills in the world’s waters since 2021, using satellite images from the SkyTruth NGO paired with shipping data from market analysis firm Lloyd’s List and commodity platform Kpler.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told POLITICO the ships posed a “significant danger” to the marine environment. “The incidents [here] illustrate this.”

It’s a problem that’s only grown worse following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With Moscow under Western sanctions, an increasing number of tankers are ferrying illicit goods — and potential environmental devastation — across the globe. Not only are these vessels creaky and largely unregulated, they’re often uninsured, meaning that in case of a leak, or more serious spill, a government would struggle to hold them accountable.

POLITICO and SourceMaterial identified discharges everywhere from Thailand to Vietnam to Italy and Mexico, all linked to the shadow fleet. The tankers also passed through busy shipping corridors like the Red Sea and the Panama Canal, meaning any serious accident could rupture international trade routes.

Experts believe it’s only a matter of time before one of these ships suffers a catastrophe with major environmental — and economic — devastation.

“The oil spills and risk of slicks are horrendous,” said Isaac Levi, Europe-Russia lead and a shadow fleet expert at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a think tank. “Beyond the environmental damage, some of which will be irreversible, it’s a huge impact to coastal states that have to bear the cost of cleaning this up.”

In short: “It’s a ticking time bomb,” Levi said.
Rising dangers

The situation poses a global dilemma: How can democratic countries squeeze Moscow’s revenues while avoiding disastrous ramifications?

When the West first imposed sanctions on Russian oil in 2022, it aimed to throttle a critical lifeline for the Kremlin, which relies on oil and gas exports for almost half its budget.

But almost two years later, the measures — which include a blanket import ban to the European Union and an oil price cap that G7 allies imposed with other partners — have largely come up short.



Instead, Moscow has found creative work-arounds. It relabeled its crude oil to mask its origins and it organized an ever-growing fleet of over 600, with ownership often obscured by shell companies, and used it to dodge the $60-per-barrel price cap set by the G7 — tactics that Iran and Venezuela also use for similar purposes.

So far, the price cap “has proved to be a very leaky instrument,” said Michelle Wiese Bockmann, a shipping analyst and shadow fleet expert at Lloyd’s List.

According to CREA, around 80 percent of Moscow’s seaborne crude was transported on vessels outside Western control. Meanwhile, the overall number of shadow fleet vessels has more than tripled since 2022.

And the cash has kept flowing into Russia’s war coffers. According to data analyzed by CREA, the think tank, Moscow’s shadow fleet had transported €80 billion worth of crude by September since the G7 imposed the price cap two years ago.

At the same time, the fleet is “presenting a lot of safety and environmental concerns,” Bockmann said.

These tankers, which Lloyd’s List defines as having no known insurance, obscure ownership and having been built 15 years ago or more, are classified as “high-risk” by engineers. That leaves them more vulnerable to technical problems that could affect their steering, structural integrity and seaworthiness.

With four-fifths of these vessels lacking credible insurance, according to data from Lloyd’s List, they often escape international oversight and regulation. That risk only increases when tankers turn off their transponders or transmit false locations, using so-called spoofing methods.


Where spills happen, cleanups can cost coastal countries and their taxpayers millions, Bockmann said, since the vessels’ owners cannot be tracked. Ships could also block trade choke-points like the Suez Canal if captains lose control of their vessel, she added.

The spills also pose “a very serious problem” for local wildlife, said Stepan Boitsov, a researcher specializing in marine pollution at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. They can harm marine life, render consumer products like shellfish toxic and prevent fish reproduction. Cleaning up presents its own problems: The chemicals involved can spread further contamination, he added.

Then there’s the collision risk. In July, a Russian shadow fleet vessel hit another tanker in Malaysian waters, causing both to catch fire.

The risk caused by the shadow fleet is global: An analysis of shadow fleet routes shows the vessels traveled down the west coast of the United States, repeatedly passed through the Mediterranean, split the English Channel and hugged China’s shoreline. And that’s just when their transponders are operating.

The problem is particularly acute in Europe, where “the dark fleet is an accident waiting to happen,” Bockmann said, given that many unregulated ships pass through EU waters after leaving Russia’s Baltic and Siberian ports.
Leaving their mark

Satellite images show small-scale accidents are already occurring around the world, largely unnoticed by authorities.

The Innova is a case in point. On March 12, six days after departing from the port of Murmansk in northwest Russia, satellites captured images of a long black slick on the sea’s surface. Transponder signals from the ship put it at the scene when the blight appeared.

Satellite imagery cannot determine whether the slick was definitely oil. But according to Alexandros Glykas, a marine engineer and CEO of the DYNAMARINe shipping services firm, such slicks often result from the discharge of slops, an oily-water mixture produced as the vessel operates. The fact that the substance can be seen from space also strongly indicates the presence of oil.




Intentional overboard discharge of waste oil slops is illegal under MARPOL, an international treaty that aims to curb shipping pollution, according to Sean Pribyl, a maritime lawyer at Holland & Knight. Signatories of the treaty include many European countries, as well as Russia and Vietnam, the country where the Innova was registered at the time and whose laws it was accountable to — its so-called flag state.

Yet the United Kingdom did not send a vessel to investigate the Innova slick further. A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesperson told POLITICO it did not find “sufficient evidence of a violation” — even though there is a requirement to investigate visible slicks when reasonably possible, even with a physical inspection if the ship docks at a port.

“Action will always be considered where there is evidence of the potential for environmental or social harm, which was not the case here,” the spokesperson said.

Evidence of a possible violation usually requires the vessel’s flag state to investigate potential MARPOL violations and sanction any breaches, which could result in certain certificates being revoked.

The foreign ministries of Vietnam and Sierra Leone, Innova’s flag states at the time of the spill and after it occurred, did not reply to detailed questions from POLITICO. Innova’s owner at the time, Sao Viet Petrol Transportation, also did not respond to several requests for comment.

Innova’s trip eventually ended at the Vadinar refinery in India, which last year alone received 82 million barrels of oil from Russia worth an estimated €5 billion. Then in July, Innova changed its name, managers and owner.

The Innova is far from the only ship to have literally left a trail of pollution in its wake.

On Feb. 18, satellites spotted another 47 kilometer-long slick off the Italian coast matching the coordinates of another shadow fleet tanker, the Aruna Gulcay.

That tanker, flagged in the Marshall Islands, was carrying ballast — seawater that keeps the ship afloat — from the port of Ravenna in Italy to the southern Russian port of Novorossiysk. But it’s unlikely the discharge was ballast, said Glykas, the engineer, since seawater would not be visible from space, implying another MARPOL violation.

Similarly, the Italian coast guard did not carry out an inspection of the ship. Instead, an Italian maritime agency spokesperson said it had contacted nearby ships for information on the spill. The Marshall Islands government did not respond to a request for comment, and the ship soon changed its name and manager.

Analysts at SkyTruth said the nine slicks they could clearly link to shadow fleet vessels were likely an extremely small subset of the real problem. That’s primarily because the analysis relied on the vessels having their transponders on at the time of the slick, a requirement that ships in the business of evading sanctions don’t always observe.

“I’m absolutely convinced that what you have noticed is the tip of the iceberg,” said Bockmann, the shipping analyst. “These ships are designed to [transport] sanctioned oil … as cheaply as possible, and there is absolutely no regard for conventional marine standards.”
Clamping down

The evidence of spills is leading to fresh calls for government action. But options for stopping the shadow fleet are limited.

The findings are “obviously outrageous,” said one EU diplomat, granted anonymity to speak candidly. Coastal European countries like Italy and the U.K. “have the responsibility to take extra efforts to investigate ships when they are linked to Russia,” the diplomat added.

The Innova and Aruna Gulcay in particular, the EU diplomat said, should now be “strong candidates” for Brussels’ next sanctions package against Russia given they may have breached the international maritime convention. In all, diplomats from four EU countries said the two ships should face sanctions if they breached MARPOL as the findings suggest.

“If the vessels referred to are involved in irregular or high-risk shipping practices or contributing to Russia’s war efforts, they run a high risk of being added to the [EU’s] sanctions regime,” Swedish Foreign Minister Stenergard told POLITICO.

The EU has sought to tighten the screws on Moscow’s shadow fleet by more closely monitoring the sale of old tankers to foreign countries before they get into Russian hands. The bloc also banned 27 suspect tankers from accessing the bloc’s ports or services — a tactic the U.S. also uses.

The U.K., too, has slapped restrictions on individual tankers. Last month, it added 10 more shadow fleet vessels to its sanctions list on top of the 15 already penalized. A U.K. foreign ministry spokesperson did not respond to questions about the Innova but said Britain was “going after vessels” enabling sanctions circumvention.

Italy’s foreign ministry told POLITICO it “stands ready” to sanction vessels according to EU rules, but added it had “not received any information in this regard” for the Aruna Gulcay.



A spokesperson for the European Commission said the EU’s executive arm was “constantly” exploring “possible future listings of vessels, including from the dark fleet.” All 27 EU countries must agree to adopt new sanctions.

Sanctioning individual tankers has proven to be a “pretty effective” move, said Levi, the CREA think tanker. Those blacklisted by the U.S., for example, saw their ability to trade oil drop 90 percent three months after being penalized.

“We very much encourage” the West to significantly expand the number of vessels on those sanctions lists, he said, which scare service providers like engineers and traders from cooperating with the tankers.

The EU and U.K. should also consider banning tanker sales to countries facilitating trade with Russia, Levi said, and automatically sanction vessels sailing through EU waters without known insurance.

The EU’s more hawkish countries on Russia also agree the bloc must step up its efforts, given the stakes involved.

“We are happy that we created this sanction and we listed these ships,” Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told POLITICO, “but also we are clear that we need to continue.”

If the next oil spill is larger, he warned, “it will be a catastrophe for us.”

Stuart Lau contributed reporting.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)