The US and Several Other Countries Call for Action Against Illegal Oil Transfers at Sea

The governments of the United States, Britain, Denmark, and several other countries have called for further actions, including increased monitoring of the growing efforts to transfer oil illegally at sea, in a letter to the United Nations. According to Reuters, these countries are particularly concerned that such actions increase the likelihood of environmental pollution. The letter sent to the UN states that irregular transfers "undermine the international rules-based order, increase the risk of pollution for countries" whose coasts are near the locations of these actions, and "threaten global efforts to prevent pollution from ships." The letter was sent by member countries to the "International Maritime Organization," a subsidiary of the United Nations. The International Maritime Organization is set to hold an important meeting on marine environmental protection on July 1. Australia, Canada, Spain, and Ukraine also supported this letter. Hundreds of oil tankers have attempted to secretly transfer their oil in recent years, carrying oil from sanctioned countries, including Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Reuters' investigations revealed that the number of incidents last year, including the grounding of tankers and collisions between them, reached the highest level in recent years. The letter states that these risky methods unfairly expose governments and local officials to the costs of incidents and clean-ups and compensation for victims. The methods used by these tankers include turning off tracking transmitters, declaring false locations, and conducting ship-to-ship transfers in unauthorized areas, sometimes in unsuitable weather, to conceal their activities. The letter, which will be discussed at the International Maritime Organization meeting, states that deceptive practices in shipping also pose "serious threats to the safety and security of international shipping," including the crew members of those tankers. The signatory countries recommended that when countries whose flags the ships are sailing under become aware of such clandestine actions, inspections of those ships should be increased, and monitoring of activities, including around territorial waters, should be enhanced.