Report: Shadow Tankers Sail Without Danish Pilots Despite Recent Collision
There are renewed concerns that the fleet of shadow tankers carrying Russian oil continues to disregard international regulations and is creating an increasing maritime danger. The Danish Maritime Authority is confirming that one of the tankers was involved in a small accident earlier in the month as the Financial Times today published a leaked report that says the tankers are now regularly declining the services of pilots as they transit the busy shipping lanes in the Danish Straits. Concerns have been raised before about the potential of tankers attempting to navigate the narrow channels and strong currents in the Danish Strait without the country’s experienced pilots. The Danish Maritime Authority expressed concerns about the dangers of vessels traveling in the busy shipping lanes without assistance in September 2022. These concerns are being renewed and causing a political debate in Denmark in the wake of the reports that a somewhat mysterious tanker inbound to the Baltic clipped a smaller cargo ship outbound at the beginning of March. In a leaked report seen by the Financial Times and Danwatch, a Danish media group, they are asserting that at least 20 tankers were…