- According to Bloomberg, Russian tankers switched off their tracking systems 33 times last week.
- The US Treasury Department has labeled the “deceptive” maritime tactic as a means to circumvent sanctions.
- Nine superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs also went dark last week.
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Russian tankers switched off their tracking systems at least 33 times last week, according to location data provided to Bloomberg by Windward, a maritime risk consultancy. That’s double the normal weekly rate, the company said.
This tactic, known as “going dark” or “dark activity,” has been flagged by the US Treasury Department as one of several “deceptive sanctions evasion practices” in the shipping industry.
Windward’s data also shows that ship-to-ship meetings are occurring that could be long enough for cargo to be offloaded onto ships without sanctions, although the frequency of these meetings is still at normal levels.
Also windward said last week that 22 unique ships entered Russian waters for the first time in the weeks following the invasion of Ukraine.
The news follows reports that nine superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs and tycoons – several of whom have been sanctioned – similarly switched off their tracking signals last week.
All ships of 300 GMT or more sailing on international voyages must be installed Tracking technology commonly referred to as an Automatic Identification System (AIS), according to the International Maritime Organization website.
Certain classes of ships embarking on international voyages are required by international conventions to broadcast their AIS location signal at all times.
In a sanctions recommendation last May, the US Treasury Department warned that “vessels engaged in illegal activities may also intentionally disable their AIS transponders or tamper with transmitted data to disguise their movement.”
Several countries, including the US and Britain, have banned both Russian oil and Russian ships from ports after invading the country in Ukraine. Sanctions against Russian oligarchs have prompted a spate of closely monitored ship movements as superyachts and their owners try to escape seizure.
Disabling location data – on commercial or passenger ships – could make it harder for companies to avoid doing business with sanctioned organizations or individuals.
“Everyone in sailing is pretty scared. The penalties for dealing directly or indirectly with Russians are simply astronomical,” Sam Tucker of market research firm VesselsValue previously told Insider.