Bloomberg: Weapons licensed by Britain are used to protect Russian tankers
A loophole was discovered in the licensing regime of Great Britain, which is used by Russia to circumvent sanctions
Weapons that were legally exported from the UK are being used to protect Russian oil tankers, and the British authorities can’t do anything about it. This is stated in the investigation of the Bloomberg agency.
About 20 years ago, due to a surge in piracy off Somalia, the presence of armed guards became a mandatory requirement for insurance of cargo ships. Although piracy cases have recently decreased (from 400 in 2010 to 60 in 2023), a new threat has appeared - attacks by the Yemeni Houthis.
Carriers use special companies for protection, which store their weapons on arsenal ships. These vessels can be at sea for weeks. As the tanker approaches the danger zone, it encounters such an arsenal. Three or four guards with weapons transfer to the tanker, and after passing through the danger zone, they return to their ship in rubber boats. The cost of such a service is over $4,000 each way.
Much of the weapons in the "floating warehouses" are licensed by Great Britain, which has a licensing system for maritime security companies.
In July 2023, Britain revoked the licenses of MNG Maritime, which operated three arsenal vessels: Genesis, Antarctic Dream and Siam, because it provided security guards for the sanctions fleet of Russian tankers.
After the licenses were revoked, the weapons (we are talking about hundreds of units) had to be returned, but this did not happen, because MNG Maritime was immediately bought out by Singapore’s Sinbad Navigation.
Due to the change in ownership and jurisdiction, Britain is unable to locate the weapons and has lost the legal right to confiscate them.
Meanwhile, Sinbad Navigation actively cooperates with Russian tankers, in particular providing security services for the Russian Sovkomflot.
Sinbad Navigation is not under sanctions, and the services it provides do not formally violate sanctions. But at the same time, the company has become an important element that allows Russia to continue oil trade, despite the sanctions.
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