#Ukraine #CorruptionShadowfleet #RuSanctions #FTM
Over 200 old ships have been sold to Russia by EU companies.
Not only is this a very gross violation of the sanctions against Russia's oilboycot, but
it's also very dangerous for the environment. The old ships avoid all kinds of international and EU obligated safety rules. Labour rules don't exist.
Month ago in a moderate storm two of these ship got in trouble, one of them broke and Russian environmentalists are still cleaning the occupied Crimm coast.
Moreover the isolation of the Russian economy and the consequential collaps of its economy is undermined because some all ready very very rich people wanted to make more quick money.
This makes me so mad....
Here am I, skimping on my groceries in order to donate to NAFO-trucks. And there's that super wealthy jerk on his superyacht making millions with one easy push of a button.
The Dutch research team of 'Follow the Money' found proof and names. Mainly from Greece but also from UK, Cyprus, Germany and Belgium [and others]
Read the article:
"European shipowners keep Russia’s shadow fleet afloat – and cash in billions"
by Jesse Pinster; Dimitri Tokmetzis and Birte Schohaus for FTM
{this article is on the paywall jumping 'archive' site. Although I thank the organisation for their fantastic journalism, I rather save up for another [bit of a] NAFO-truck.
]
https://archive.vn/vYZxy
Quotes:
"Western shipowners received more than 6 billion dollars by selling old oil tankers to a shadow fleet transporting Russian oil, an international investigation led by Follow the Money has found. German, Norwegian, British and above all Greek businesses profited from exceptionally high prices for old, rusty and unsafe tankers. These ships are now used to transport Russian oil, circumvent sanctions, and fund Russia's war in Ukraine."
"The shadow fleet is used to transport Russian oil above the price cap introduced by Western countries. This indirectly provides the Russian state with billions of dollars in revenue to fund the war against Ukraine."
"Paris Kassidokostas-Latsis is no stranger to wealth or headlines. The 42-year-old film producer, once engaged to American socialite Paris Hilton, is an heir to one of Greece’s richest families and has built a reputation that bridges the worlds of Hollywood glamour and the maritime world.
The entrepreneur who looks more like a rockstar than a businessman made headlines once more last autumn when his company Marla Tankers sold two oil tankers for a reported 84 million dollars."
"A total of more than 6 billion dollars has flowed into the coffers of Western shipping magnates since the start of the war in February 2022"
"Avoiding EU bans
The European Union banned the direct sale of ships to Russian companies in late 2023 – but that didn’t deal a big blow to the shadow fleet.
That’s because almost all of the vessels are, on paper, not owned by Russians – instead, they’re registered with companies in India, on the Seychelles, in Hong Kong, or Vietnam. Selling to these third countries is not illegal."
"With Russian demand for old tankers hiking up prices, shipowners around the world saw a chance to sell a tanker for good money, tankers which in many cases would have been destined to be sold for scrap."
"One of them is Belgian marine transport company Euronav – which recently changed its name to CMB.TECH – received 135 million dollars for five vessels that ended up in Russia’s shadow fleet in 2022 and early 2023.
Spokesperson Katrien Hennin said it hadn’t known the vessels would be used for that purpose.
“We have no insight into what happens to the ships after the sale and that is not our responsibility. To whom the buyer resells a ship or how he operates the ship legally or illegally is beyond our control,” Hennin said."
"A ship broker, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, said it ultimately came down to profits.
“An investor is only interested in one thing, and that is money. I think the ethical line is very thin,” the broker said. “If it's allowed, they'll do it.”
Overall, Greek shipowners sold ships worth almost 4 billion dollars, UK-based companies sold 22 tankers to the tune of 590 million dollars in total, and German shipowners raked in 190 million dollars."
"Part of the reason why the EU has been slow in ramping up its sanctions regime for ships is because of internal resistance. Greece, alongside other maritime countries like Cyprus and Malta, has at times frustrated any attempts to ramp up sanctions."
"At the end of January, the Fos Picasso docked at the Indian port of Mangalore, where the oil has been unloaded and processed. Similarly, the second tanker Fos Da Vinci is currently cruising on the Indian Ocean. It seems to be heading to India as well, where it is likely to unload the oil worth millions of dollars that it is transporting."
#SlavaUkraini ! #HeroyamSláva!
#RussiaIsATerroristState
#StopEcoside
#StopRapingNature
