More than half of Russia's shadow fleet poses massive oil spill risk — FT

GMS Partnership CEO Anil Sharma told the publication that at least a third of these tankers should be scrapped immediately. According to his estimates, over half of the shadow fleet vessels could be at risk.

According to the shipbroker Clarksons, the shadow fleet consists of about 1,800 vessels, roughly 1,500 of which are oil tankers. Most of them are more than 20 years old — an age when cargo ships are typically sent to the scrapyard.

FT noted that the owners of sanctioned vessels continue to operate them due to the profitability of the oil trade amid high prices and the crisis in the Persian Gulf.

Alexander Saverys, head of the shipping company CMB Tech, stated that these vessels are often uninsured, poorly maintained, and may have underqualified crews. He described the situation as an "accident waiting to happen."

An additional risk factor has been the restriction of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which has led to some aging tankers being used for oil storage instead of being scrapped.