India Closes Loophole for Shadow Tankers Evading Sanctions — Reuters
The Indian ship safety certification authority has significantly tightened its approach to maritime transport involved in circumventing international trade restrictions.
Starting in 2023, the organization revoked the certification of more than 200 tankers and other vessels that attempted to circumvent legal regulations.
The Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), based in Mumbai, is among the world’s leading maritime vessel certifiers.
The official removal of a tanker from its registry significantly impacts the logistics capabilities of the ship-owning companies.
In particular, such a move makes it much harder for the vessel to obtain international insurance and blocks potential access to most of the world’s ports.
Arun Sharma, executive director of the non-profit organization, spoke about the exact number of blocked vessels and the specifics of implementing the new safety rules.
He emphasized that management had made a fundamental decision to strictly adhere to global trade restrictions. The agency has now completely purged its databases of toxic assets.
“Since 2023, Mumbai-based IRClass has removed 235 vessels from its registry, mostly oil tankers, as well as several gas carriers,” the official stated. He noted that while the registry previously did include several vessels subject to Western sanctions, IRClass now has a “very comprehensive” sanctions policy.
The Indian registrar’s updated strategy is primarily aimed at supporting economic pressure against aggressor nations and regimes that violate international law.
The organization no longer cooperates with counterparties that face legitimacy issues in leading world powers. This decision closes loopholes for the transportation of sanctioned raw materials.
This was announced by the agency’s head in a comment to the international news agency Reuters.
Armed guards have appeared on tankers in Russia’s shadow fleet
Russia’s shadow fleet transports oil under false insurance policies – Bloomberg
As a reminder, France plans to significantly increase penalties for ship owners and operators who use false flags or ignore orders to stop.
Europe plans to discuss operational decisions regarding the introduction of the 20th package of sanctions against Russia to increase pressure on Moscow.
