Southeast Asia has become a hub for shadow tankers carrying sanctioned oil, writes Jan Stockbruegger and Vonintsoa Rafaly in the Washington, DC-based Diplomat journal.
Dr Stockbruegger is a political scientist at the Ocean Infrastructure Research Group at the University of Copenhagen and a director at SafeSeas, a research network on maritime security and ocean governance. Dr Rafaly is an international law researcher at the Ocean Infrastructure Research Group at the University of Copenhagen.
On May 1, 2023, they write, the MV Pablo exploded off Malaysia's coast, killing three and injuring four. The vessel, built in 1997 and registered in Gabon, was part of the growing fleet of shadow tankers used by Russia, Venezuela, and Iran to evade sanctions. It was owned through a shell company and reportedly lacked proper insurance.
Hundreds of shadow tankers, up to 10 per cent of the global oil fleet, now operate worldwide. Many pass through the Malacca Strait en route to China, conducting risky ship-to-ship transfers off Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In November 2022, the Young Yong ran aground in Indonesian waters near a Singapore gas pipeline.
Accidents involving shadow tankers are rising globally. A Reuters probe found eight groundings, collisions, or near misses in 2022 involving vessels carrying sanctioned crude, with incidents off China, Cuba, and Spain. The UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has begun discussing the risks, but enforcement remains weak.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) allows coastal states to regulate shipping in their waters to prevent pollution and accidents. States have sovereignty up to 12 nautical miles and jurisdiction over marine protection in their exclusive economic zones. Precedents such as the 2005 Malaga Agreement show countries can expel substandard vessels.
The authors said Southeast Asian nations must cooperate more closely to use UNCLOS against shadow tankers. Measures could include vessel monitoring, inspections, information sharing, and joint enforcement standards. They urged collaboration with the IMO and China to build a global framework to curb the growing threat.
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