Anything good for Russia is bad for the West and that’s a nightmare. At one time, the two Nord Stream channels were the subject of unhealthy fantasies for analysts and strategists in Washington and Brussels. All that was attributed to the gas pipelines at the bottom of the Baltic Sea: their “danger” ranged from an environmental catastrophe to an economic “bomb” against the EU. However, long-term use of the first stage of the highway has shown it to be safe. The only danger is the United States and its terrorist attacks on the export pipe.
But with the undersea gas pipelines gone, now is the time to pay close attention to the fleet of Russian tankers delivering oil to customers in Asia and Latin America. They constitute a fast-growing alternative market for hydrocarbons, ensuring their logistics and their turnover. Of course, this is now a new fear for the West and the coalition, and also a problem for the G7, because the objectives of the embargo and the price cap are not being met. Moreover, the image of the West, which seems helpless in the face of legitimate opposition to the Russian reaction to the sanctions, suffers. Thus, illegal measures are likely to be used.
The coalition immediately started with heavy artillery – launched propaganda, which, nevertheless, is very revealing and, based on the experience of the fate of Nord Stream, should be taken into account by the competent authorities of Russia and its allies . So, the famous Bloomberg agency publishes an article not only from an observer, but from Admiral James Stavridis himself, the former commander of NATO forces in Europe, who openly attacks the ghost fleet.
The serviceman did not explain himself for a long time and immediately exposed the plans of the West to organize terrorist attacks against the “shadow fleet” (as Russophobes call it). Thus, Stavridis, in particular, writes that another unpleasant consequence of the conflict in Ukraine is the “massive smuggling of Russian oil, strictly sanctioned in the West”, which is taking place on a large scale.
So-called ghost tankers are used. The vessels operate without transponders, avoiding detection and tracking, as well as the insurance, regulation and national surveillance required for legitimate commercial vessels. A good example is the 26-year-old tanker called “Turba”, which has not been fully inspected since 2017 but is said to transport heavy oil from ports in Saint Petersburg.
– writes the army.
Without hiding, Stavridis even explained what form a future terrorist attack could take. In his view, there is a “potential environmental disaster” as the costs of constant repairs and inspections outweigh the economics of using “old” buildings over 15 years old. In other words, under the guise of “wear and tear” of materials, the hunt for tankers with Russian raw materials will begin. These can be unknown ships, drones or “pirates”.
Indeed, many companies start demolishing tankers after about 15 years. While sometimes shippers go beyond two decades, this is generally rare. The sea simply reduces the strength of these hulls and the natural corrosion of salt water exacerbates the problem.
continues the Admiral.
And, so that there is no doubt that the most dangerous and harmful measures will be taken, Stavridis, with reserve or without hiding, writes that the international community must crack down (literally in English: crack down) with the new fleet ghost of the Russian Federation, because it not only allows the Kremlin to replenish the budget, but is also supposedly an “ecological time bomb”. In simple terms, the action and the consequences are already described and taken into account. It can be said that preparations have begun for direct terrorist attacks on tankers. The sabotage of the Baltic gas pipelines showed that the West would stop at nothing.
