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Experts raise concerns about dark fleet tanker in Mediterraneanpublished at 13:57 GMT13:57 GMTJoshua CheethamBBC Verify journalist
We’re continuing to look at a so-called “dark fleet” oil tanker - the Chariot Tide - which has been displaying some unusual behaviour in the Mediterranean.Tracking data from MarineTraffic shows it left northern Russia before sailing through the Baltic and south towards the Strait of Gibraltar, signalling it was travelling to Tangier, Morocco. As it approached the Strait of Gibraltar on 22 January, the 18-year-old ship began signalling “Not Under Command”. We can see four tug boats sailed around it as it travelled east through the strait at low speed.On 24 January, tracking shows it making looping movements in the Mediterranean before continuing east at low speed.The reason for this is unclear. Mark Douglas, an analyst at Starboard Maritime Intelligence, says its direction of travel is different from where the ship is pointing, suggesting that it might be being carried by strong winds.Image source, Starboard Maritime IntelligenceImage caption, One of the dark fleet tankers - Progress - was captured by satelliteA second vessel - named Progress - has also recently signalled “Not Under Command” while in the Mediterranean. Douglas says records show this has been updated to “In Casualty or Repairing”.Satellite imagery shows that it, too, is pointing in a different direction to where it’s actually travelling.Michelle Bockmann, senior analyst at Windward, says it’s likely that Progress has been heading towards India or China with Russian crude oil.Meanwhile, Chariot Tide is being shadowed in international waters by a Spanish search and rescue vessel.Bockmann says Chariot Tide is falsely flagged to Mozambique and like many dark fleet ships is uninsured. If an oil spill takes place this complicates who would pay for the cleanup.“The dark fleet is an accident waiting to happen, and it's unsurprising, in one respect, that we're seeing vessels having mechanical difficulties,” says Bockmann.
