The Strait of Hormuz. (Made by ChatGPT)
[People News] The hope for a quick resolution to the conflict in Iran has been dashed, and amid the ongoing energy crisis, the 'shadow fleet' has re-emerged in public discourse.
The term 'shadow fleet' refers to a collection of ageing and decrepit oil tankers that should have been retired and dismantled long ago. These vessels are purchased or owned anonymously by shipowners, with insurance either acquired on the black market or directly backed by the governments of rogue states. They are specifically used to transport oil for Iran, Russia, and North Korea, effectively bypassing Western sanctions. Some insurance is obtained through 'shell companies,' but this is largely irrelevant, as any incidents can simply be dismissed when the shell company goes bankrupt.
The shadow fleet is not a formal organisation but rather a vast network: consisting of hundreds or even thousands of ships, with an average age of twenty years. Their registrations resemble Russian nesting dolls—registered in Panama, flagged in Liberia (and some are even stateless), with the actual owners often based in Dubai or Singapore.
The United States and Europe have consistently imposed sanctions on the shadow fleet, yet they have never been able to fully resolve the issue due to the overwhelming global demand for energy—no matter how stringent the sanctions, they cannot eliminate these essential needs.
It is not only Iran and Russia that are eager to sell; Europe, India, China, and the United States are all in need of purchases. Europe requires heating during the winter, leading to factory closures and job losses in Germany; India faces a significant energy shortfall, resulting in power outages for factories; and in the United States, rising oil prices prompt voters to blame the president. Energy is a critical survival issue. No one dares to truly cut off supplies—doing so would jeopardise their political stability. The shadow fleet acts as a 'lubricant' in the geopolitical arena: while major powers engage in verbal disputes, ordinary people still need to eat, and intermediaries reap substantial profits.
The specific operations typically involve mixing and changing oil products on the high seas through ship-to-ship transfers, where Iranian crude oil is blended with oil from Malaysia or the UAE. Once the labelling is altered, it becomes legal. Although the ships are equipped with tracking systems, the shadow fleet can disable satellite signals or employ hacking techniques to misrepresent their current location, placing them hundreds of nautical miles away. There’s no need to worry about satellite imagery, as the fleet intentionally navigates beneath cloud cover and operates at night.
Regarding financial settlements, there’s no cause for concern; money laundering is alarmingly simple: cryptocurrencies are untraceable; offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands and Seychelles are intricately layered; or transactions can involve gold, exchanging oil for gold, and then converting gold into US dollars.
The fuel you put in your cherished car might have been smuggled from Iran to India, having changed ships three times along the way. As someone who values peace and environmental protection and is driven by a sense of justice, when you refuel next time, don’t just opt for the cheapest gas station; be sure to verify the source of the oil.
(First published by People News) △
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