Shifty Shades of Grey | G7 Crackdown On The Dark Fleet | The Dark Fleet 

Your episodes - (that started with a jam in a canal) - have become 'evermore' significant on multiple levels, 'given' the recent geopolitical manifestations Dr. Sal! :)

This is old news, but thought you might find it interesting. In August 2022, our automotive repair shop was having trouble getting an engine shipped from Asia. I did some research and ran across your channel. The information you provided was a great help understanding where to source an engine for our customer without further delays. Very informative channel. Nice work.

Its so quaint about how they still call themselves "clubs". Way back to the days when these insurers were organized in London coffeehouses. How about a Starbuck's or Tim Horton's or Tully's or Doutor insurers "club"?!

Could you sometime go over the pros and cons of flagging with your own country vs another? I'm guessing taxes are a big part of it, but if that were all I would think some carriers would still want the weight of the US flag behind them. So there has to be other aspects I'm not getting.

I feel bad for the crews that are brought aboard these shadow tankers. Those crude carriers are not going to be well maintained as time goes on, there's another Pablo out there just waiting to cook off.

India imposed double digit tax on gold imports. Same concept, dark fleet (boats not ships) What India calls smuggling gold to citizens. Perhaps a larger picture of what would be the cost of Coast Guard, port and banking controls to control all the things in shipping? Would it be a 1% tax or a 99% tax? For some reason I doubt this is a modern situation. Thanks for always for an incredible presentation.

It's one thing to have an enforceable means for receiving ports to establish the accurate source of oil, but if there isn't the will or ability due to dark fleet and ship transfers there are too many devious players in the mix that can circumvent the international intent. Great that these vessels have been identified as have carried illicit cargoe, so that does demonstrate that the grey fleet aren't immune from being identified! Great content as always Sal.

Thanks Sal. Very interesting. You put the meat in the headline sandwich very well. I started watching your blog after the Ever Given episode, and, as a retired master mariner, who has sailed Suez many times ( not on those horrors, I might add), found that episode particularly interesting, as were the car carrier episodes, as I captained those things regularly, fortunately not experiencing any problems. But all shipping interests me, and with everything that's going on these days, I think I am pleased to be retired. Please keep up the good work, and I look forward to your next episode. Cheers Mike

Its a front. Countries are jonesing for energy, so they'll use other ways to backdoor (wash) that energy (oil, gas, etc) through other countries to get it.

What this 'enforcement' is going to do is ensure countries like India and China buy Russian oil with their own tankers which are insured by their own companies and can't be touched by the G7. Leading to genuine oil shortages in the G7.

You please me again with logic and current information. Love you you and family. So glad we met in Houston ports before I retired in Illinois. ❤❤❤

I throughly enjoy how and the content of your videos . I am sure you have good reasons for how you split your screen when presenting facts and printed figures that you diligently prepare for the audience . My only advice is when you split the screen is to present youself in a larger space on the left to read your facial expressions more easily and remove the whats up with shipping logo over the left hand corner and place it over the patreon , facebook and you tube logos . I like to see you better and your expressions . Just my opinion . Anyone who is wanting to see the printed information is going to have to enlarge the printed material anyway . Thank you for all you do .😊

Quality work, as always, Sal

The "Dark Fleet" also seems to include Russian Super Yachts as well. They seem to just switch of their AIS now as well and hide from people when moving around. 🤠👍 As a good example just look up MY Nord. She is en-route now somewhere in Indian Ocean and has been dark for quite a bit of time along with many more moving around.

You must be careful navigating the waters near Cebu City. Often you will come across tankers at anchor (at night) with no lights or AIS on. Another reason to watch your 3/10cm and not rely on Marine Traffic and AIS.

Hey Sal, your audio is off by a few frames or, it got altered when encoding/publishing? Either way, just an FYI because I never noticed it before this video. Keep up the great intel!

It’s hilarious that a tanker of any size would try to evade tracking when it is public knowledge that even non-classified satellite imagery can easily detect them. The tracking radios are a safety measure, but turning them off doesn’t mean that they become invisible, except to the nearby craft that could be the most dangerous. So stupid.

Love your page,,keep on keepin on!!

Hi. I am no fundi on oil prices however we are sitting with a huge burden of high fuel costs at the pumps with mostly increases and very few decreases. This has sky rocketed our inflation whereby the cost of living is out of control. Sanctions destroy the poor. Sanctions create huge job losses. Our continent is not involved in the wars but feeling the pain and suffering. Lots of countries see Africa as a sh!t hole but we still have populations who need to eat. It has been very emotional to see the old, youth and everyone else trying to buy food. Lately simple potatoes are out of reach. The world needs to change it’s antics which lead to punitive actions against the poor.

Thanks for your hard work Sal.

Very interesting as always

No one cracks down on anything. (Just lip service) It is just an opportunity for politicians in the G7 countries to get money (i.e. the Big Guy's 10%) so their enforcing agencies will continue to not look too hard for these tankers. Only tankers to be seized are those for companies that did not make payments to accounts in Cayman Islands/Switzerland/Singapore/etc.

I never heard of the ruble being valued on the US dollar since closing the Soviet Russia. Then the financial system exchange they use isn't even tied to the US dollar. The US knows it's lost its coercion factor with many nations. No dollar equivalent, it's not the US spending the money, but low and behold here comes the temper tantrum. Crazy.

I’ve Always enjoyed your Show and always a like 👍..!

Professor Sal aka dark fleet tanker sleuth! Excellent review.

A few weeks ago in Russian Pravda, the Russian Duma is going to increase the oil export tariffs and an alleged threat of increases up to a dollar a gallon. Apparently there is a decreasing of oil supply, also alleged to. I think this is amplified by Maersk' s switch in fuel source that you reported on several days ago.

Hi Sal, the spotlight reveals all.

If this is in your wheelhouse, I would be interested in some details for the ship-to-ship transfers happening off Spain / Portugal. Could you take an example of a ship that goes there and then how the ship-to-ship transfer is arranged. What would need to transpire for a country's Navy (say Portugal, Spain, or the US) to decide to interrupt a ship-to-ship transfer.

Great Content... !!

Great stuff😊

As the cook islands is a NZ dependancy... I am going to visit my local PM and make a formal complaint against the Cook Islands taking Russian money for illegal shipping. If my taxes are going to prop up the Cook islands, the least they can do is not side up with a country that is run by war criminals

Can oil be tracked by chemical signature? During the President Carter oil embargo, My father's small refinery would tank bottoms, The bottom 18 in of dirty oil The oil wells would store, The heavy impurities fall to the bottom. Today you would call it recycling dirty oil. He was a petroleum engineer with a full laboratory, oil could have salt, paraffin, and a whole host of impurities. Dad would clean the oil to 1% impurities from many tank bottoms, and sell it at spot price via a cross country Pipeline compressor. He paid his taxes. But the Tax regulators where absolutely angry. They called it alchemy, taking non-oil and turning it into oil. This became huge national tax audit, tax cases. Key: federal government had zero legal definition of what is chemical and what is oil. The tax auditors at a time of oil shortages, convinced that there had to be cheating since they had no definition, lobbied to have the process taxed at $50 a barrel. Today when you get your oil changed in your car, you'll notice you have a disposal fee since it cannot be recycled. This is how government works.

Great job!!

Even a small tanker is hardly a small vessel, how are these not tracked by satellite imaging?

All very interesting information.

I've handled a Singapore re-flagged ship in the US discharging gasoline when they were on the Panama deflag list for dark fleet. I looked up the name of the ship on Marine Traffic- they would show pictures of it with a different name. I check that name on Google- its on the deflag request list.

An again a great video

Can you create a video on “flagging “ of ships? To be clear the nationality of the ship. Thanks

Who said the U.S. is in charge of someone else's oil, what price they price it at, and whether or not they sail? The U.S. doesn't own Russia or its right to international waters. Why are they in charge of the world?

How do authorities know the price of the oil? Thanks. Enjoy your work!

Question: Can't we tell where a shipment of oil comes from by its chemical signature? I'm just curious... great videos, thank you

Interesting information.

GOT TO KEEP AND SHARP EYE ON ALL SHIPPING FROM NOW.

So wise , Thank You

Very interesting !

Neat title of video.

There are international rules established and enforced by the UN via the International Maritime Organization which requires AIS use by all vessels greater than 500GT, for any vessel greater than 300GT that is on an “international voyage” and for all passenger vessels. Per IMO Revised Guidelines for the Onboard Operation Use of Shipborne AIS - A.1106(29) 22 AIS should always be in operation when ships are underway or at anchor. Under normal circumstances, it is only allowed to be turned off when at dock. AIS may be switched off if the master believes that the continual operation of AIS might compromise the safety or security of the ship or where security incidents are imminent. Unless it would further compromise the safety or security, if the ship is operating in a mandatory ship reporting system, the master should report this action and the reason for doing so to the competent authority.

Crack down until no crack down.

It's noticeable the USA wasn't so heavy handed with Russia during the Cold War.

"You go to a place near Dulles airport"? OH, what is that?! There would be law firms that do that sort of thing.

It's about time !

Time to revisit "Letters of Marque"? ;-)

What about their refineries? Is all oil type refined the same?

Fishing fleets supposedly have been doing this for a long time to fish inside of protected waters, and or exclusive economic zones. It's another area mixed between politics, perceptions, and crime. Oil is the life blood of the modern world with smuggling the under cover business modem of the old world. Only a large trading block could police this. There has been some international inflation since the sanctions were declared.

But a little store bought drone needs a broadcast module. Meanwhike huge cargo or tanker ship. Possably full of regulated or dangerous cargo, nah here's one you can use but you dont have to

Fantastic background info, thanks. Minor bit of feedback - the sound editing seems unusually choppy on this video. Your last syllable on a segment keeps getting clipped off. No biggie, but kind of distracting. Certainly doesn't detract from the top-notch information. Thanks!

Suspect with the US Fleet southwest of Cypress not too many STS transfer are going unmontier near Egyptian waters.

What happened to Freedom of Navigation?

are you a professor for one of the maritime academies? A captain on a ship? If so - where do I sign up ?

12:57 there's no international maritime authority that could enforce an AIS requirement. Currently, ships are supposed to have it on all the time, unless there's a security reason to turn it off (such as possibly transiting waters where pirates operate). But, there's no authority to punish a ship captain, operator, or owner if it's turned off. Also, regarding insurance, the Lloyd's paper mentions "properly capitalized insurance". Sure, a dark fleet ship might have insurance from a non standard source but is there any capital there, money or assets, for that insuror to actually pay, say if the vessel causes a spill or whatever incident.

How does the ship owning /operating company know the FOB price per bbl

Maritime ships over 300 DWT tonnage are required to have their AIS on by IMO regulation

Requiring AIS always on and the ability for the ship to be seized, inspected and if necessary impounded for violating the sanctions seems to be the best way to deal with things. Of course their (G7 etc) ability to adapt and enforce rules, as usual, is glacially slow.

I thought it was fairly easy to test the imported oil to USA, by chemistry ?

Recommendations: So what are they going to do? Hu! This is well, and good, but why do they let Greece carry Russian oil in the first place? What a jock!!!

HEY!!! I HAVE A REQUEST. There is some sort of weird feed back, also noticed it in another video. Please try and fix.I do enjoy how informative this channel is but ahh that noise drives me crazy!

Reflagging started ironically enough by the US before we got in WWII . U.S. Government Encouraged it !

Im glad companies can find ways around American sanctions!

Your channel is about to have a really big spike buddy I got a feeling

Sanctions are just pieces of paper unless you're willing to get physical - seize the ship, or cap one with a Mk48 to send a very clear message. Maybe blockade the Greek ports. Getting physical is all these players understand. BTW, we know exactly what ships and when and probably have numerous videos of ship-to-ship transfers. I was involved in an evidence collection operation about 30 years under similar circumstances, and the ISR assets that the US government can bring to bear are incredible. Unfortunately, those videos will probably never see the light of day because it would be obvious how we're collecting the evidence.

There's something weird about the sound in your recent videos. As you're speaking, there's a high-pitched tone in the background, which stops when you pause. Almost like you're reading from an autocue that's actually one of those thermal printers they use on credit card machines. 😂 Any idea what it could be?

lol g7 countries buying that oil faster than you can blink

I don't believe you're quite accurate with there being no IMO requriement to use AIS. The IMO requires AIS use by all vessels >500GT, for any vessel >300GT that is on an “international voyage” and for all passenger vessels: IMO Revised Guidelines for the Onboard Operation Use of Shipborne AIS - A.1106(29) 22 AIS should always be in operation when ships are underway or at anchor. If the master believes that the continual operation of AIS might compromise the safety or security of the ship or where security incidents are imminent, AIS may be switched off. Unless it would further compromise the safety or security, if the ship is operating in a mandatory ship reporting system, the master should report this action and the reason for doing so to the competent authority.

So my question is, if you can buy Russian oil for $60, why would you want to pay more?

Do insurance companies cover tankers lost to war/terrorism?

These sanctions are all bark and no bite.

there's no "dark fleet", there's a fleet insured by someone other than the british.

Would not switching of a tracking device VOID any reputable insurance set up by eg Lloyd's of London or et al. Switching off the device would infere that you were up to no good. Come on Lloyd's of London and any other reputable insurance concern, pull your finger out and do due diligence. If you give way to one bully more will follow. From the UK, I find you videos very well researched and informative. Thanks

Sanctioning the individual tankers is not going to achieve anything - you have to go after the owners and make it cost them money.

Politics aside, the main value in documenting ownership and inspection is in preventing problems at sea and in port, such as the Key Bridge and other similar. Sanctions just don't work. Inspections do.

Fabulous.

Oh man, I'm missing a whole thread here

I think satellites are cheap and good enough now that we could track all vessels, at least large ones, using optics and radar. Maybe it's time to build a global fleet observatory, not just for sanctioned oil transport but illegal fishing, dumping, and other problems.

Could part of the problem be politicians afraid of fuel rising in price at the bowser, voter sensitive. If the globe is awash with oil both good and bad this is less likely to happen.

I am sure this won't backfire like every other plot they have hatched

Unfortunately this is nothing new. During the embargo on South Africa a lot of oil found its way from the Arabian and down there. Usually there was a sts operation in international waters outside the gulf and the second ship took care of the transportation. Probably the same thing happens with Russian oil today. The cargo goes from Russia to a “friendly “ port or off this. Then the oil is transferred to another ship that brings it to its final destination. New documents are issued such as bill of lading,manifest and certificate of origin. What was a Russian oil has now a new origin and is sold to the highest bidder. Major charters might be involved but the cargo will be handled by two different offices in different countries and they probably don’t know about each other. AIS is a joke in this connection. They can too easy be manipulated. It might be that there is two devices one in a port the other on a different vessel. The first ship with the cargo then moves under a false name or with the AIS off. I have seen a fishing vessel with the destination set to “ Home to mother”😂. Larger vessels have now a device with the fancy name SSAS as part of piracy protection. The ship owner and the flag-state can poll the vessel’s position if wanted. This device can also be turned off but will raise suspicion if it is off for too long. It is also possible to poll their position from Inmarsat C if they have that.

This is madness by government just get desperate and doing stupid things this will make oil more expensive the way there go

Enforcement of oil shipments, have been withheld, because it was held that strict enforcement would drive Russia to early escalation to the big ones, in their military operation in Ukraine. At least that's the opinion expressed on certain YT channels. Who knows if it's even close to true?

as if G7 has any right to regulate third party countries' shipping and trade. How does one country's law extend to other countries' jurisdiction? Discussing this topic without mentioning that G7 has no right to do this is deceptive at best.

@12:54 Duh. How will the CIA be able to ship weapons to al-qaeda then??

4:55 Well that sounds like Free Trade. We can't have that!

After seeing sound of free dom , I really wonder about all those shipping containers and what ships are facilitating such diabolical practices and who is funding them. God save the kids.

Lot of effort for not a lot gained. Sounds like the story of this war all over again.

Behavior is controlled by incentives, if behavior could be contolled by legislation then crime of all kinds would be a thing of the past. Legislation is a very poor incentive. Thanks Sal

Why do we need a price cap on oil?

Could not the G7 ban any commercial vessel that turns off its AIS be banned within 200 miles of their shores?

Ships flagged under cyprus flag is also very suspicious. Especially when thinking about the large population of russians, because you can buy citizenship.

Instead of finding more clever ways to enforce the law, I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to have less laws.

To paraphrase: "Money... finds a way." This will never stop. The only issue is the amount of nations actually trying to enforce the sanctions. Fairly unprecedented.

Ok, they're skirting sanctions, but who actually genuinely cares if the sanctions are upheld or not