Reported by Jennifer Sor

Russia is relying on its “dark fleet” of oil tankers to skirt Western sanctions, but that’s raising the risk of ship collisions out at sea, according to industry experts, who have flagged concerns as Russia attempts to evade trade restrictions.

Executives from maritime shipping and insurance firms have said Russia’s growing collection of shadow tankers is raising safety risks for other oil tankers, as they could easily collide with Russia’s shadow fleet.

Those are Russian ships that often sail uninsured and outside of current trade rulesby turning off their transponders, which help identify and locate vessels.

Industry experts say shadow tankers are typically bought anonymously, and most are largely believed to transport Russian oil. As of late 2022, Russia had amassed around 270 ships in its dark fleet, according to an estimate from Norway SEB.

Read full report: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/russia-using-dark-fleet-ships-024037927.html