8/10/2024–|Last updated: 10/9/202412:13 AM (Mecca time)
Russia’s LNG tanker fleets, known as the “dark fleet,” have seen a marked increase in activity in recent months, as they use increasingly sophisticated tactics to conceal the movement of LNG cargoes and avoid… Penalties Western.
According to a report published by the Financial Times, these tankers follow devious methods to mislead observers about the location and destination of their shipments, which may undermine global efforts to limit Russian energy exports.
Naval deception tactics
The “Dark Fleet” has become a pivotal element in the continuation of Russian liquefied natural gas exports despite the strict sanctions imposed by Western countries following the Russian-Ukrainian war, according to the newspaper.
These sanctions greatly affected the project Liquefied gas Arctic LNG 2, a vital project to increase Russia’s production of liquefied gas.
It is believed that since August 2024, at least 8 shipments from this project have been exported despite the sanctions, while a number of potential buyers have been deterred by the sanctions, resulting in many of these shipments being stored or remaining floating at sea, according to what Financial reported. Times.
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Deceptive sea transfers
The Financial Times says that one of the tactics used by the Russian fleet includes simulating sea transfer operations between ships. Last August, the newspaper’s report referred to the liquefied gas tanker Pioneer, which was seen next to another tanker called Nova Energy in the eastern Mediterranean.
At first – the newspaper adds – observers believed that this operation was to transfer the shipment from Pioneer to Nova Energy. However, the scam was discovered later when Payoneer passed through Suez Canal Last September, she informed the authorities that she was still carrying the gas shipment.
The newspaper quoted Tom Marcet Manser, head of the gas analysis department at the consulting company ICIS, as saying, “The deliberate attempts to falsify transfers between ships show that the Arctic 2 LNG project is striving to hide the destination of its production.”
He added, “These maneuvers largely aim to create doubts and present an alternative reality,” according to what the Financial Times reported.
The complexities of dark fleet monitoring
The complexity in tracking these ships is exacerbated by the limited number of LNG tankers in the world. When one of these tankers engages in suspicious activities, this becomes more noticeable to analysts, traders and ship agents, the newspaper says.
“We have not yet seen the end of devious tactics, roundabouts and creative concealment,” the newspaper quoted Kjell Ekeland, general manager of Ekeland Energy, as saying.
While artificial frequency signals and satellite images play a major role in monitoring these ships, obtaining complete certainty about exactly what is happening is difficult.
The Financial Times quoted Gillian Boccara, director of the gas and liquefied gas division at the ship tracking company Kepler, as saying that satellite images can be inaccurate due to the presence of clouds or the absence of images at crucial time periods.
Geopolitical implications
The repercussions of Russia’s continued export of liquefied natural gas using the “dark fleet” are having major impacts on global markets.
The Financial Times report indicated that Russian tactics increase the complexity of global energy security, especially with the rise in gas prices as a result of tensions in the Middle East.
Gas prices have risen by 23% since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has added pressure on global energy markets.
