The US, the UK and France have recently stepped up controls of 'shadow fleet' ships
Image: Damien Meyer/AFP
The flags of the two Pacific nations are reportedly being used to disguise the movements of the "shadow fleet" illegally transporting Iranian oil to China.
The governments of Tonga and the Cook Islands have condemned misuse of their flags amid reports that at least 29 ships were flying their colors in a bid to dodge international sanctions.
The majority of the vessels are crude oil carriers that appear to be operating between Iran and China, with the vessels loading Iranian crude in the Persian Gulf before conducting ship-to-ship transfers and other movements designed to hide the true origin of the oil before unloading it in China, said Mark Douglas, maritime domain analyst with Starboard Maritime Intelligence in New Zealand.
The flags of Cook Islands (pictured) are often used by ships trying to avoid identification
Image: MLWilliams/Depositphotos/IMAGO
"These tankers normally take on false flags in order to continue trading after being removed from other flags, normally due to sanctions violations," Douglas told DW.
Crews interfering with Automatic Identification System
Under modern maritime law, ships are assigned numbers used by the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which allows authorities to trace them and reduces the possibility of collision.
"Of the 29 tankers identified as falsely using the Tongan or Cook Island flag, 21 are sanctioned and another two are transmitting invalid AIS numbers, which makes checking their sanction status more difficult," according to the analyst.
Tonga islands in the GeoGarage platform (SHOM nautical raster chart)
In addition to using false numbers, ship crews are able to simply turn the identification system off and effectively become invisible, despite the obvious risks.
North Korea is known for using this tactic for some years to evade UN sanctions.
In late January, Amnesty International reported that the Myanmar military junta has become the latest to adopt the sanctions-busting tactic of obtaining aviation fuel through ships that are either flying another nation's flag or have turned their location-tracking systems off.
US cracks down on maritime controls
Russia, Venezuela and Iran have all ramped up the use of false flag ships to get around sanctions in recent years.
In late January, Amnesty International reported that the Myanmar military junta has become the latest to adopt the sanctions-busting tactic of obtaining aviation fuel through ships that are either flying another nation's flag or have turned their location-tracking systems off.
US cracks down on maritime controls
Russia, Venezuela and Iran have all ramped up the use of false flag ships to get around sanctions in recent years.
It appears that the US is now responding by ramping up its maritime controls and seizing and impounding a number of ships.
On January 20, US forces boarded a seventh oil tanker in the Caribbean, the Liberian-flagged Motor Vessel Sagitta.
On January 20, US forces boarded a seventh oil tanker in the Caribbean, the Liberian-flagged Motor Vessel Sagitta.
On Thursday, French authorities confirmed that they had detained the Russian oil tanker Grinch, which had departed from the Russian port of Murmansk in early January, flying the flag of the Comoros.
Tonga and the Cook Islands have also responded to the illegal use of their symbols by alerting the International Maritime Organization and publicly announcing that these vessels are not legitimately flagged.
The government of the Cook Islands was initially alerted by reports of the tanker Bertha flying its flag off Venezuela in early January, although that later proved to be inaccurate.
Tonga and the Cook Islands have also responded to the illegal use of their symbols by alerting the International Maritime Organization and publicly announcing that these vessels are not legitimately flagged.
The government of the Cook Islands was initially alerted by reports of the tanker Bertha flying its flag off Venezuela in early January, although that later proved to be inaccurate.
The government, nevertheless, has set up a Vessel Verification Portal in an attempt to "enhance transparency, efficiency and access to vessel information."
Tongan authorities issued a statement saying, "Any foreign vessel currently transmitting under the Tongan flag is doing so fraudulently and without authorization from the Kingdom of Tonga."
Tongan authorities issued a statement saying, "Any foreign vessel currently transmitting under the Tongan flag is doing so fraudulently and without authorization from the Kingdom of Tonga."
It added that the country closed its international registry of ships in 2002 and that it no longer registers foreign vessels on international voyages, Radio New Zealand reported.
'Shadow fleet' ships avoid ports
As well as physically flying another nation's flag, "shadow fleet" ships alter the first three figures of a vessel's Maritime mobile Service Identity number, which show its national registration, effectively changing its nationality.
"This type of behavior should be detected during port inspections, which are there to find this type of fraud as well as anything to do with the vessel or crew that does not meet local or international regulations," Douglas said.
"However, these tankers normally either avoid going into port or they go into ports where the operators know the vessel's paperwork will not be closely inspected," he said.
'Shadow fleet' ships avoid ports
As well as physically flying another nation's flag, "shadow fleet" ships alter the first three figures of a vessel's Maritime mobile Service Identity number, which show its national registration, effectively changing its nationality.
"This type of behavior should be detected during port inspections, which are there to find this type of fraud as well as anything to do with the vessel or crew that does not meet local or international regulations," Douglas said.
"However, these tankers normally either avoid going into port or they go into ports where the operators know the vessel's paperwork will not be closely inspected," he said.
Countdown to 'big disaster' involving illegal ships
In addition to the US, France and the UK are also becoming more proactive in seizing "shadow fleet" vessels.
However, Douglas notes that such seizures are less likely to occur in the Pacific as it would require policy changes.
The analyst also declined to speculate on which countries might be willing to intervene.
Stephen Nagy, a professor of international relations at Tokyo’s International Christian University, says the governments of the two Pacific states have limited resources to deal with the problem beyond angry statements and are also "a long way away from where these ships have been operating."
"Perhaps their best course of action would be to cooperate with allied countries and to use their coast guard capabilities to do the heavy lifting," Nagy said.
Stephen Nagy, a professor of international relations at Tokyo’s International Christian University, says the governments of the two Pacific states have limited resources to deal with the problem beyond angry statements and are also "a long way away from where these ships have been operating."
"Perhaps their best course of action would be to cooperate with allied countries and to use their coast guard capabilities to do the heavy lifting," Nagy said.
He suggested the US, France and the UK may be willing to intercede in the Atlantic, with France and Spain also possibly willing to step up in the Mediterranean.
In Late 2024, Finland seized oil tanker Eagle S, flying a Cook Islands flag and believed to be a part of the Russian 'shadow fleet,' on suspicion of disrupting electrical links between Finland and EstoniaImage: Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva/SIPA/picture alliance
A matter of scale
The Pacific, the world's biggest ocean, is likely to be more of a challenge due to its size.
Even so, Tonga and the Cook Islands could call appeal to the governments of Canada, New Zealand and Australia for support, Nagy said.
He warned that failure to intervene with the "shadow fleet" ships, which are carrying vast amounts of fuel or other hazardous substances, could lead to a disaster, especially with the vessels' seaworthiness in question.
At the same time, Nagy said "responsible partners" in the region have to deal with many pressures draining their resources, while the operators of "shadow fleet" vessels are becoming more adept at disappearing at sea and have plenty of paying clients.
He warned that failure to intervene with the "shadow fleet" ships, which are carrying vast amounts of fuel or other hazardous substances, could lead to a disaster, especially with the vessels' seaworthiness in question.
At the same time, Nagy said "responsible partners" in the region have to deal with many pressures draining their resources, while the operators of "shadow fleet" vessels are becoming more adept at disappearing at sea and have plenty of paying clients.
Satellite Imagery of the Convoy;??????? Sources: European Space Agency
