#sanctions-enforcement

#sanctions-enforcement

Western governments have accused Vladimir Putin's administration of relying on a network of ageing oil tankers operating under opaque ownership structures to bypass energy sanctions imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine. Estimates from maritime analysts suggest the shadow fleet could number several hundred vessels globally, many of which transit European waters each month carrying discounted Russian crude to buyers in Asia and elsewhere.

Should we do more on shadow shipping? Yes we should, and I've now identified further military options that we can use to target shadow shipping,

This morning, the French Navy boarded and searched an oil tanker from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag,

(Screengrab via X) Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted dramatic footage of the moment US Coast Guard aided by military assets seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic on Wednesday, ending a two week pursuit after a failed attempt to take the vessel on December 20, when the vessel was apparently bound for Venezuela.

United States forces raided a cargo ship travelling from China to Iran last month, according to the Wall Street Journal, in the latest reported instance of increasingly aggressive maritime tactics by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Unnamed officials told the newspaper that US military personnel boarded the ship several hundred miles from Sri Lanka, according to the report on Friday. It was the first time in several years US forces had intercepted cargo travelling from China to Iran, according to the newspaper.

An influential bipartisan congressional commission is urging lawmakers to create a new economic statecraft office to enforce U.S. sanctions, limit Chinese influence in the electrical grid, and release funding to maintain dominance in cyber and quantum technologies - warning that the national security threat from Beijing has escalated over the past year and could threaten the United States in a future conflict.