Russian and Chinese tankers are carrying out high risk ship-to-ship crude oil transfers at a newly established spot in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, it has been revealed.
Analysis has tracked at least a dozen tankers involved in transferring or receiving crude oil of Russian origin, which then set sail for destinations in Asia, particularly China.
The transfers, which are taking place about 1,480 kilometres off the Portuguese coast, have raised concerns of an accident at sea with economic or ecological implications.
The research was carried out by the Lloyd's List, a long-running shipping journal that provides insight into maritime and associated data from around the globe. It says that the ship-to-ship transfer hub represents a case of owners taking "big risks for big money".
Experts believe mid-Atlantic ship-to-ship transfers would pose a major logistical challenge to crew members and jeopardise their safety at sea. Such transactions could also allow for the trading of oil from blacklisted nations.
At the core of the operation is a cluster of five Chinese-owned boats, which were set up under separate company names but registered at the same address.
The Lloyd's report says Russian energy giants Gazprom and Lukoil have chartered most of the outbound ships which load from Baltic and Black sea ports, including Primorsk and Ust-Luga.
The report claims an additional 12 tankers may have been involved in the operation, but cannot be traced as their identification systems were switched off.
Alex Glykas from Dynamarine says the practice has never been seen before in the Atlantic, in part because a smooth transfer relies on the weather being "ideal", an infrequent scenario in the area.
He says ships taking part in this kind of practice could easily be damaged, potentially leading to oil spills.
“The way that the industry has been structured, it assists opportunities because there is no proper surveillance, it’s as simple as that," he said. "Shipowners who want to take big risks, they make big money and there are traders that support them.”
Lloyd's List claims the practice is carried out in combination with a series of other "deceptive shipping practices", which are designed to "obfuscate the origin and destination of the cargo, as well as the ownership and identify of any vessels involved".
The journal says there already about 200 ageing oil tankers in the oceans which are involved in shipping 1.2 million barrels per day from countries under sanction, including Iran and Venezuela.
The transfers allow traders to mix their load with other crude oil types which can lead to false claims that a cargo on board could be, for example, 'Malaysian Blend' to circumvent sanctions.
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
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The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
MATCH DETAILS
Manchester United 3
Greenwood (21), Martial (33), Rashford (49)
Partizan Belgrade 0
