Weapons legally sold by Great Britain are used to protect Russian oil tankers, and the country's authorities cannot do anything about it.
Points of attention
- British weapons sold legally are being utilized to protect Russian oil tankers, posing control challenges for authorities.
- The change of ownership of weapons makes confiscation and tracking difficult, enabling the protection of tankers amidst sanctions.
- Security of commercial vessels is crucial due to evolving threats such as piracy and attacks by groups like the Houthis.
- Specialized companies use arsenal ships to store weapons for safeguarding tankers, with armed guards being a necessity for safe passage.
- The cost of ship security services is rising due to risky routes and the need for armed protection against potential threats.
Why Britain cannot prevent the use of its own weapons to protect Russian oil tankers
As the journalists of the publication note, in July 2023 the British authorities revoked the license of the MNG Maritime company, which operated three armed security vessels Genesis, Antarctic Dream and Siam.
The company was stripped of its license because it provided security services to Russian oil tankers that were under Western sanctions.
With the revocation of the license, the company was supposed to return to Britain hundreds of weapons that were placed on board these ships, but it was almost immediately bought by a company from Singapore, Sinbad Navigation, and the weapons were never returned.
The change of ownership and jurisdiction deprived British regulators of the ability to establish the exact location of the weapons, as well as the legal right to confiscate them.
At the same time, the Sinbad Navigation company actively cooperates with Russian oil tankers and provides security services for Sovcomflot vessels.
This Singaporean company is not under Western sanctions and thus provides services quite legally.
But at the same time, the company has become an important element that allows Russia to continue oil trade, despite the sanctions.
What is known about the field of protection of commercial vessels
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 the number of piracy cases has decreased recently (from 400 in 2010 to 60 in 2023), a new threat has emerged — attacks by the Yemeni Houthis.
Carriers use special companies for protection, which store their weapons on arsenal ships.
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 more than 4 thousand dollars each way.
