IMO Aims to Tackle Growing Oil Tanker Dark Fleet

The IMO has published a resolution including several recommendations to tackle the growing global shadow fleet of oil tankers, IMO said, cited by Bloomberg.

• A resolution from IMO called on UN member states and relevant stakeholders “to promote actions to prevent illegal operations in the maritime sector by the “dark fleet” or “shadow fleet”.”
• The resolution also called on flag states that register ships to ensure vessels ships are adhering to pollution prevention requirements in IMO rules, as well as laws that prohibit and regulate transfers of oil at sea.
• The IMO also recommended higher levels of inspections when vessels are suspected of being part of the dark fleet, as the growing fleet is posing risks of incidents, especially during STS transfers, as they disguise the cargoes destinations or origins, or otherwise avoid oversight or regulation by flag or coastal states.
• While the IMO did not name Russia, Moscow has assembled a vast fleet of ships (shadow fleet) to transport its oil whose ownership, insurance and other key details are not known, following the introduction of the G7 price cap.