An oil tanker boss says the UN maritime agency is ‘sleeping’ on the threat of dark ships

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The CEO of the world’s largest publicly-listed company has accused the UN body that sets maritime rules of being “asleep behind the wheel” over an increasingly dark fleet of unregulated ships, he said “it’s only a matter of time” before a major disaster. happen.

Lars Barstad, chief executive of Frontline, also criticized European governments for failing to enforce laws aimed at curbing Russian oil trade, saying they were worried about forcing up energy prices.

The number of black fleets has increased to almost a fifth of the world’s fleet after Russian monopoly owners bought hundreds of aging ships to avoid western restrictions on the oil trade. that country.

The potential for disaster was demonstrated in July when the Hafnia Nile, a tanker operated by Singapore-based Hafnia, collided with the Ceres I, a tanker carrying Iranian oil, in waters off Malaysia.

According to a subsequent notification of US Treasury sanctions against the owners of Ceres I, during the collision the ship’s radar system was announcing an incorrect location – a common trick for dark ships trying to hide their activities.

The dark tankers, which transport oil from Iran and Venezuela as well as Russia, are often owned by offshore companies whose ownership is unclear and often not adequately insured. They are often registered under the flags of countries that do nothing to enforce laws regarding regular safety inspections.

Barstad said he was “very concerned” about the growth of dark circles, which he said encouraged several “illegal operators” to make “crazy money”.

He added that International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN agency, was doing very little to ensure the enforcement of safety and environmental laws.

“All these vessels . . . they are selling outside the framework of the IMO,” Barstad said. “They have been sleeping behind the wheel for a long time in relation to tankers.”

There have been reports of other, unconfirmed events other than the Ceres I collision, Barstad added. “I’m very surprised we haven’t had more incidents like this,” he said. “I think it’s just a question of time until we get a big one.”

A ship like Ceres I – which was carrying 2mn barrels of crude oil – could be split in two in a future incident, he said.

“That would be a big problem for the environment,” Barstad said. “It could happen any day – and the biggest problem is, when that happens, no one will know who the ship or the cargo is.”

Compliant ship owners, such as Frontline, were at a disadvantage because many others were operating at lower costs on unregulated dark vessels, Barstad added. He said that shows that the politicians are not willing to implement the sanctions.

“Politicians have decided not to take political risks,” Barstad said, adding that he thought many feared higher energy prices if oil from Russia, Iran and Venezuela were indeed excluded from international markets.

There have been persistent suggestions that countries such as Denmark – which controls the entrance to the Baltic – and countries near the English Channel should inspect and seize tankers that pass their shores without proper insurance.

Barstad refused to single out specific provinces but said: “There seems to be no serious consideration in the way the law was made. A serious stance should be taken if one is serious about this matter. ”

The IMO said in response to Barstad’s criticism that its general assembly had passed a resolution by the end of 2023 calling on member states to crack down on fraudulent ship registrations and strengthen port inspections .

It also states that member states have a responsibility to ensure that ships flying their flag comply with the necessary regulations and to ensure that ships visiting their ports do so.