Russian oil tankers ‘go dark’ to avoid detection of voyages

THE number of Russian oil tankers “going dark’ to avoid being tracked during voyages has tripled since the invasion of Ukraine.

Instances of so-called dark activity “skyrocketed” in the first month of the conflict and remain elevated, according to research by the maritime intelligence group Windward.

It found a “significant and steady” increase in dark activity, with more than six Russian-affiliated tankers a day trying to avoid detection.

Typically ships go dark by switching off their automatic identification system (AIS), an on-board tool that transmits a vessel’s location to others.

According to data from Vesselsvalue, a consultancy, 112 Russian-affiliated tankers have not sent an AIS signal for more than eight weeks,

“Vessels that do not signal location and intention are likely to be involved in illicit trading such as trading with sanctioned countries, performing illegal ship-to-ship tanker transfers, or fishing in prohibited waters,” said its analysts.

The rise in AIS switch-offs – which is against maritime law – has occurred alongside a sizeable increase in the number of tankers transferring oil outside of ports in ship-to-ship transfers, many of them taking place in the Mediterranean. Those shipments have then gone on to destinations including China and India, which have been buying Russian crude at heavy discounts. Russia’s Urals blend has been selling at about $35 a barrel lower than Brent.

Together, they suggest operators have been looking for clandestine ways to move Russian oil without drawing attention from Western authorities.

Ami Daniel, chief executive of Windward,

‘Vessels that do not signal location and intention are likely to be involved in illicit trading or fishing’

said transporting Russian oil had become “very, very profitable” since the conflict began.

He warned ship operators may go dark less often as the European Union cracks down harder on Russian oil.

Mr Daniel said: “It might help you for one journey, for one trade, but long term [it’s] probably not a good idea.”

He added that transferring oil between ships is “a good way to go off the radar or make it much harder to pick you up”, noting similar methods have been used to transport sanctioned Iranian and Venezuelan oil.