Oil Tankers Weaponized in Global Shadow Fleet

There are many oil tankers around the world that are used for illegal activities, like avoiding rules and selling oil from countries that are under sanctions.

These tankers are part of something called the 'shadow fleet.'

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Russia built up a big part of this shadow fleet to keep selling its oil.

These tankers often change their names and turn off their tracking systems to hide where they are going.

They can be dangerous because they are old and not well-maintained, which could cause big oil spills.

Some of these tankers have even been used to damage important things like undersea cables and launch drones.

Countries like the US, UK, and EU are trying to stop these tankers by putting sanctions on them, but it's hard because the tankers keep changing their names and flags.

Recently, Ukraine has been attacking some of these Russian tankers with drones, and the US has been seizing vessels involved in trade with Venezuela.