US and Pacific allies are taking on “dark shipping,” using tracking technology to shut down sanctions dodgers who “meet at sea” and illegal fishing amid outrage over China’s massive fleet
- President Biden met with leaders of Japan, Australia and India on Tuesday
- One agreement by the Quad is to form a new Indo-Pacific Maritime Domains Awareness Partnership
- Comes amid claims of illegal or exploitative fishing by China’s feat, which is estimated to involve up to 17,000 vessels
- Nations in the region could better track shipping to monitor “rendezvous at sea” and sanctions evasion
- Come to a gathering where politicians work on climate, global health and cybersecurity
The U.S. and three Pacific allies that make up the Quad announced Tuesday new policies to crack down on “dark shipping,” which can undermine sanctions or the illegal depletion of fisheries.
The new effort relies on “integrated real-time” technology to achieve what policy gurus are calling “maritime domain awareness.”
It amounts to a commitment to stepping up surveillance of the vast Indo-Pacific, where far-flung nations are often unaware of what is on board foreign-flagged ships transiting its waters.
The official White House statement on the matter did not mention China by name, although its huge fishing fleet worries neighbors by already operating extensive fisheries.
Nor did it mention sanctions against Russia — although President Joe Biden snapped at Moscow over his war in Ukraine, which he said should “wipe out” Ukrainian culture, as evidenced by the attacks on schools, churches and cultural sites.
Fishing vessels / trawlers in the port of Jin Shan Island | Location: Jin Shan Island, Aurora, China. A new plan announced by Quad executives creates a “maritime domains awareness partnership”
But the better coordination could help nations better manage the subterfuge when they are under pressure to crack down on Russian energy exports — which are key to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to fund the war.
“This will enable tracking of dark shipping and other tactical activities such as rendezvous at sea and enhance the partners’ ability to respond to climatic and humanitarian events and protect their fisheries that are vital to so many Indo-Pacific economies,” said a senior administration official on a call with reporters traveling with the President.
The four partners “will provide a near real-time, integrated and cost-effective maritime awareness picture” that the statement claims will “completely transform the capability of partners in the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region.” to patrol the waters off its shores in exchange for maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific,” a White House fact sheet on the plan said.
Quad leaders announce maritime domains awareness partnership to reduce ‘dark shipping’
Paying more attention to the region could help limit circumvention of sanctions against Russia in the war against Ukraine. Leaders are concerned about “rendezvous at sea” that can be used to evade authorities
The political deals come amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine
According to ABC Australia, China’s massive fishing fleet attracts a staggering 15 million tons of marine life each year.
In a 2020 incident, 350 Chinese ships gathered in international waters just off the edge of Ecuador’s maritime border around the Galapagos Islands. The fleet was larger than the navies of Ecuador and Peru combined and boasts one of the richest biodiversity in the world.
A study at the time put the size of the Chinese fleet at a staggering 17,000 ocean-going ships. The fleet is navigating waters “in the territorial waters of low-income countries,” it said.
Other policy areas the Quad is working on are vaccines and global health, cybersecurity, climate issues, infrastructure and space – including satellite data sharing.