Oil tanker boss says UN maritime body ‘sleeping’ over dark fleet threat

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The boss of the world’s largest publicly listed oil tanker operator has accused the UN maritime rule-making body of being “asleep at the wheel” over a growing dark fleet of unregulated vessels, saying it was “a question of time” before a significant disaster. is performed

Lars Barstad, chief executive of Frontline, has criticized European governments for failing to enforce rules to curb Russian oil trade, saying they are worried about raising energy prices.

The number of vessels in the dark fleet has risen to nearly a fifth of the global fleet after Russian-linked owners bought hundreds of older ships to avoid Western sanctions on the country’s oil trade.

The potential for disaster was illustrated in July when the Hafnia Blue, a tanker operated by Singapore-based Hafnia, collided with the Ceres I, a dark flotilla carrying Iranian oil, in Malaysian waters.

According to a Next US Treasury sanctions notice Against Ceres I’s owners, the ship’s radar system was broadcasting a false position at the time of the collision – a common tactic for dark fleet ships trying to conceal their activities.

Dark Fleet vessels, which carry oil from Iran and Venezuela and Russia, are typically the property of offshore companies whose ownership is unclear and often without adequate insurance. They are often registered under the flags of countries that do little to enforce rules about regular safety inspections.

Berstad said he was “very, very concerned” about the growth of the dark fleet, which he said encouraged several “law-breaking operators” to make “criminal amounts of money”.

He also said, International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN agency, is doing little to ensure enforcement of its safety and environmental regulations.

“All these ships . . . IMO is trading outside the framework,” Barstad said. “They’ve been sleeping behind the wheel in the back of the tanker for quite some time now.”

Besides the Ceres Eye collision, other, unconfirmed events have been reported, Barstad added. “I’m surprised we haven’t had more incidents like this,” he said. “I think it’s only a question of time until we get a big one.”

A ship like the Ceres I — which was carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil — could split in two in a future incident, he said.

“It will be a big problem in the environment,” Barstad said. “It could happen any day – and then the biggest problem is that, if it happens, no one will know who actually owns the ship or the cargo.”

Shipowners complying with regulations such as Frontline faced difficulties as many others were operating at lower costs in unregulated dark fleets, Berstad added. He said it reflected politicians’ lack of will to enforce sanctions.

“Politicians have decided not to take political risks,” Barstad said, adding that many feared energy prices would rise if oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela were effectively cut off from the international market.

There have been constant suggestions that countries such as Denmark – which control the entrance to the Baltic – and the English Channel countries should inspect and detain tankers crossing their coasts without proper insurance.

Barstad declined to single out specific states but said: “The way it has been implemented seems very half-hearted. Anyone who is serious about this should take a strong stand.”

The IMO responded to Barstad’s criticism by saying its General Assembly passed a resolution by the end of 2023 calling on member countries to take tougher measures to register ship fraud and increase inspections of ships in port.

It also stated that member states had a responsibility to ensure that ships flying their flag followed the necessary regulations and that ships visiting their ports did so.