Russia's Shadow Fleet Continues to Defy Sanctions and Risk Oil Spills

Following almost three years of strict sanctions on Russian energy by the United States and European Union, Russia continues to use shadow fleets to transport vast quantities of crude to countries looking to invest in its discounted energy products. While several countries have used shadow fleets to avoid sanctions in the past, Russia has invested heavily in this practice and now has hundreds of unmarked, aging ships on the water, transporting crude to anyone who will take it. Shadow fleets are "dark fleets" that use a range of practices to avoid detection when transporting illegal or sanctioned products. Many of…