The activities of the Russian “shadow” fleet are in the constant attention of international structures and the general public, since the profit received from the activities of the Russian fleet allows the aggressor to replenish the budget in circumvention of international sanctions.
As we wrote before, on July 14, “Britipanorama” published the investigation “Dark Finance: Oil Traders Fueling Russia’s Shadow Fleet”, where experts analyzed the effectiveness of the sanctions imposed in this area against the Russian tanker fleet, which is often called the “shadow one” by the US, the European Union, and other jurisdictions.
Authors stressed that it can often be heard about tankers transporting Russian oil changing flags and even names in an attempt to “avoid the sanctions storms,” but much less often is published about how traders hide in the financial oceans, conducting contracts between Russian banks and oil recipients in third countries, which today have become the main sponsors of Russian aggression, authoritarianism, and revanchism.
The investigation researched companies from Hong Kong and the Emirates, as the oil traders, such as “Fuel and Oil Dynamics FZE,” “Imperium Trading FZE,” “Blackford Corporation Limited,” “Zion Trade LTD,” and “Myronix Trading Limited,” also known as “Marca Energy Trading DMCC,” connected with Russian banks, shipowners, and oil production companies.
Experts proved the presence of Russian tax codes and bank accounts for those companies in Moscow-located “VTB,” “Zenit Bank,” and “Gazprombank,” used for transactions for oil contracts delivered by the Russian tanker fleet, including vessels that operated illegally, violating all maritime security demands, in Kerch Strait waters. Also, experts proved close collaboration of those structures with firms from Qatar, with the business empire of “RussNeft,” owned by the clan of Mikhail, Sait-Salam, and Said Gutserievs, and relevant activities of those traders in Turkey.
Moreover, investigation reports on the relevant illegal financial frauds of the Moscow company “Fortis,” whose nominal owner is Yuri Kukuev, former first deputy minister of natural resources of Russia, connected with St. Petersburg swindler Vladimir Golubev, nicknamed “Barmaley,” and Igor Sechin, also as with illegal “companies” in the Russia-occupied part of the Zaporizhzhya region. Research summarized that the oil trading companies are a significant component in the system of Russian exports and the activities of the Kremlin’s tanker fleet.
Experts of our Association researched the published information, and, as it got direct confirmation from various open sources, and is connected with Russia’s illegal activities in Crimean ports and in the Kerch Strait, we decided to inform about is the authorised international bodies and organisations in areas of maritime safety, ecology, financial operations and sanctions, as well as the national maritime administrations and sanction-related units of various democratic states.
Now our Association got in responce the confirmations on next attention to those issues from some national officials, also as from the European Commission, and Permanent International Secretariat of Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, our work on those issues will be continued.
