Dark Fleet Tanker Grounds Near Singapore, Prompting Response Efforts
The “dark fleet” tankers, and vessels involved in carrying oil from countries such as Russia, Venezuela, and Iran, pose serious challenges for both Western sanctions enforcement and maritime safety. These tankers, characterized by their older age and light regulation, present a heightened risk of accidents and pollution. The average age of vessels in the Venezuelan and Iranian trades is around 20 years, typically the retirement point for well-maintained tankers.
An example of these concerns is the recent incident involving the tanker Liberty. The Cameroon-flagged Suezmax, aged 23 years, ran aground in the Strait of Malacca while carrying a cargo of one million barrels of Venezuelan fuel oil. Liberty, identified as part of the “dark fleet” trading pattern, had previously visited the Russian tank farm complex at Ust-Luga and engaged in circular movements off the Angolan coast.
The incident underscores the potential safety and environmental risks associated with these aging vessels and their trading practices, highlighting the need for increased scrutiny and regulation in the maritime industry.
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The tanker Liberty, carrying 130,000 tonnes of fuel oil and with 31 crew members on board, ran aground on a rocky bottom in the Strait of Malacca. The incident occurred at around 1100 hours local time. Responders dispatched five tugboats to assist, and efforts are underway to transfer some of the fuel oil to another vessel to reduce Liberty’s draft and improve the chances of refloating. The regional port authority, KSOP Karimun, has prepared an oil containment boom as a precautionary measure.
This grounding incident in the Strait of Malacca follows a similar event in October 2022 when the tanker Young Yong, involved in a Venezuelan-Iranian fuel trading scheme, went aground near gas pipelines off Takong Kecil in the Riau Islands. The U.S. Treasury had blacklisted Young Yong in November 2022, complicating salvage efforts, but the vessel was successfully refloated later that month.
