Malaysian Waters See Return of Oil Transfer by ‘Dark Fleet’ of Tankers
In the dead of night, officers from Malaysia‘s maritime agency boarded two tankers that were transferring millions of barrels of oil in the waters off Penang, as the re-emergence of ageing vessels from a shadow fleet in the country’s waters has put the spotlight on the illegal trade in Asia. The January 29 bust was a rare disruption to a trade worth billions of dollars each year – much of it from sanctioned oil-producing nations Russia and Iran, and involving ships plying the waters in the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea.
The vessels, the MT Nora and Rcelebra, with a crew of over 50 people from China, Myanmar, Iran, Pakistan, and India, were boarded by officers from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). By the time the officers arrived, around 2 million barrels had already been piped into the Rcelebra, a supertanker on a European sanctions list for smuggling Russian oil, from MT Nora, the MMEA said.
Vessels’ Activities Raise Suspicions
The transponder on the MT Nora, a device used to broadcast a vessel’s identity, position, and course, was switched off to avoid detection. The ship had moved to Southeast Asian waters in November, according to Muhammad Suffi Mohd Ramli, director of the Penang State Maritime Enforcement Agency Office, who added that it was intercepted “midway through the transfer”.
Court Decision Pending
Rcelebra and MT Nora have been released on a bond of US$76,433 to a Penang-based company, with the crude returned to the vessels, pending a court decision. The court, which did not name the company, ruled that its representatives must return for the hearing.
The incident highlights the challenges faced by authorities in monitoring and regulating the illegal oil trade in Asia, where ageing tankers from sanctioned countries are often used to circumvent international sanctions. As the region’s energy demand continues to grow, so too does the need for effective enforcement measures to prevent such illicit activities from undermining global efforts to combat climate change.
Original Article: Malaysian waters see return of oil transfer by ‘dark fleet’ of tankers — Scmp