Venezuela's oil trade flourishes as ghost tankers evade US sanctions, highlighting the limitations of maritime enforcement under Trump's policies.
The U.S. administration's "full maritime blockade" aimed at crippling Venezuela's oil trade has proven ineffective due to a sophisticated tactic that may go down in maritime history. Ghost tankers, referred to as "zombies," have successfully circumvented the U.S. Navy and breached the embargo.
Reports from international press outlets, including The New York Times, indicate that the blockade, a key component of President Donald Trump's "Maximum Pressure" policy, has been compromised through a coordinated operation off the coast of Venezuela. A fleet of at least 16 oil tankers, known in the industry as the "Dark Fleet," has reached open waters by exceeding the intervention capacity of U.S. warships.
The methods employed by these vessels have alarmed maritime authorities. These tankers, classified as "Zombie Ships," replicate the IMO (International Maritime Organization) numbers and identities of scrapped or dismantled ships, appearing "dead" on paper while continuing to transport cargo across the oceans.
AIS Manipulation and 'Swarming' Tactics
It has been determined that the fleet evading the U.S. Navy utilized advanced spoofing techniques to deceive military radars and satellite tracking systems.
Ghost Locations: The ships manipulated Automatic Identification System (AIS) data to appear as if they were located off Nigeria or Africa, while in reality, they were loading in Venezuelan ports.
Swarming Movement: Reports indicate that the tankers departed from ports not individually, but simultaneously and collectively, surpassing the intervention capacity of U.S. patrol vessels.
Hull Fraud: Some ships altered their names by painting over them, making physical tracking more challenging.
Analysts suggest that these tankers, disguised as scrapped vessels like Freesia I, not only evade U.S. sanctions but also jeopardize global maritime security. This successful "escape" operation underscores the ongoing covert flow of Venezuelan oil to the Asian market and reveals the limitations of Washington's control over the seas.
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Source: www.denizhaber.com
