China's dark fleet

Last updated

China's dark fleet, also known by the terms shadow fleet or ghost fleet, describes a clandestine network of Chinese tankers and fishing vessels operating under concealed identities by disabling transponders, or using deceptive practices to evade international monitoring systems and sanctions. This network's main objective is to smuggle oil from Iran, Venezuela, and Russia into China.

Contents

Background

The term dark fleet is known to be commonly used by analysts, maritime experts, and policymakers, when describing vessels that avoid detection on purpose by disabling automatic identification system (AIS) transponders, using flag-of-convenience registries, engaging in ship-to-ship (STS) transfers in international waters, and manipulating geolocation data. [1] [2] [3] China's dark fleet was expanded during the 2000s, first to increase amounts of seafood fishing and later for illegal cargo transfer from sanctioned countries like Iran and Venezuela. [4] [5] Its global operations from the Pacific Ocean to West Africa brought it worldwide attention. [6] [7]

Modus operandi

Disabling AIS & spoofing locations

China's dark fleet, uses similar tactics like other dark fleets and disable their AIS transponders or spoof geolocation data to operate undetected and avoid enforcement. [8] [9]

Flags of convenience

China's dark fleet registers its vessels under various flags like Panama, Liberia, or even smaller nations like Gambia, in order to obscure ownership, skirt regulations, and avoid accountability. [10] [11]

Ship-to-ship transfers

Tankers of China's dark fleet take part in ship to ship transfer of oil from foreign sources who are under sanctions. This takes place in several hot spots like the waters off Malaysia, the Gulf of Guinea (West Africa), and the South China Sea. [4] [12]

GPS spoofing/ geofencing

GPS spoofing also known as software defined geofencing is used to send a fake signal locating the ship at one location while it is actually in an other location. [13] [14] [15]

Worldwide operation

China's dark fleet operates mainly in several hot spots around the world:

Pacific to South America

China's dark fleet, consisting of hundreds of ships, often locates itself on the edge of fishing areas of South American countries like Ecuador (near the Galápagos Islands) and Peru. While in the area they shut down their tracking systems to fish undetected and in an unregulated manor. [8] [9]

West Africa

China's dark fleet including trawlers and tankers, has increased its presence along the shores of West Africa, where it engages in illegal fishing damaging local fish stock and oil trades. During these activities it often uses local flags for cover. [6]

Other locations

China's dark fleet is known to use the same modus operandi in international waters near Malaysia (for Iran-China oil), the Mediterranean Sea, and regions near Russia. [4] [11] [16]

Strategic and political implications

China's dark fleet is used by Beijing in order to maintain independence in areas like energy and food supply. Experts claim that the fleet often uses illegal methods so it can avoid international rules and global sanctions while carrying out illegal fishing and transfer of energy sources without getting detected by international authorities. [16] [17] [18]

China's dark fleet plays a role also in sensitive areas like the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Yellow Sea. In these areas the ships have a double role, on one hand they are used to collect intelligence and monitor foreign activity. On the other hand, they are used to strengthen China's territorial claims in disputed water. This makes the fleet a powerful tool for China's regional strategy. [16] [19] [20]

International reaction

United States

In recent years the United States has issues new sanctions targeting more than 50 individuals, entities, and over 50 vessels linked to China's dark fleet and its clandestine oil transport networks, supporting Iran. The United States regards these actions as the most extensive since the 2018 "maximum pressure" campaign. Investigations that were conducted have monitored an rise in ship-to-ship oil transfers in international waters near Malaysia. In addition, the United States and other international officials documented unprecedented activity and revenue flows of up to $70 billion, enabling Iran to sustain its regime and nuclear ambitions despite sanctions. [21] [22] [23] [24]

International activities

The United States, United Kingdom, and European Union have tried to ban certain ships and limit the insurance and shipping services that support China's dark fleet. But as different countries have different standards, these efforts have encountered problems. Trying to target companies and insurers involved in these illegal actions has made it harder for global businesses to handle risks and follow maritime trade rules. [18] [25]

See also

Notable vessels and companies

Sanctioned vessels

References

  1. ↑ "Dark and Gray Fleets". Windward. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  2. ↑ "The Rise of Unregulated 'Dark Fleet' Vessels in Maritime Shipping – Ship Universe" . Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  3. ↑ "Dark fleet update: a "Parallel Fleet" is developing, and there is no way to reverse it". Norsk Skibsrederforening. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Clandestine Oil Shipping Hub Funneling Iranian Crude to China". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 2025-07-28. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  5. ↑ "Venezuela and Iran Use 'Dark Fleet' to Evade Oil Sanctions". theTrumpet.com. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  6. 1 2 "Battle to stop Africa's waters being ravaged by China's d..." The Observer. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  7. ↑ "Report: China's 'Dark Fleet' is a Menace to Coastal Nations Worldwide". OCCRP. Archived from the original on 2025-06-16. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  8. 1 2 "Potential Chinese illegal Fishing Seen from Space". HawkEye 360. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  9. 1 2 "China dominates "dark" network behind global fishing crisis". Newsweek. 2025-06-03. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  10. ↑ "Knowledge Base - Windward's Maritime AI™ Insights & Resources". Windward. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  11. 1 2 "Gambia's dark fleet gambit sees detentions and sanctions surge". Lloyd's List. 2025-03-21. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  12. ↑ "Tankers: West African waters evolve as tanker spoofing centre as 'dark fleet' increases in size and notoriety". Lloyd's List. 2022-12-19. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  13. ↑ gpadmin (2019-12-25). "Testing | GPS Spoofing Detection | GPS Spoofing Techniques". GPSPATRON. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  14. ↑ geogarage. "Chinese GPS spoofing circles could hide Iran oil shipments" . Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  15. ↑ Goward, Dana (2019-12-17). "Chinese GPS spoofing circles could hide Iran oil shipments". GPS World. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  16. 1 2 3 "China's Strategic Crude Oil Stockpiling and Geopolitical Implications for Energy Markets". Ainvest. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  17. ↑ "China's 'Dark Fleet' working to evade sanctions, import Iranian oil". www.intellinews.com. 2025-08-04. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  18. 1 2 "How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions". Yahoo News. 2025-08-01. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  19. ↑ "China continues to prioritize maintaining, expanding global port presence for its distant-water fleet". www.seafoodsource.com. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  20. ↑ Spey, Joseph Reilly Sub-Lieutenant Reilly is undergoing phase two training at the British Royal Naval College in Dartmouth He recently returned from service on board HMS; midshipman, a Batch 2 offshore patrol vessel deployed in the Indo-Pacific region In 2023 while a; Prize, he won the Trench Gascoigne Essay; national, the Royal United Services Institute's annual competition for original writing on contemporary issues of; Defense, International; Biography, security More Stories From This Author View (2025-08-04). "Shadow Fleets and Sea Denial". U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 2025-08-10.{{cite web}}: |first6= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ↑ Team, Editorial (2025-08-01). "China helps the Iranian Islamic regime evade United States sanctions". La Derechadiario US. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  22. 1 2 3 "China uses "dark fleet" to buy oil from Iran and evade U.S. sanctions in international waters - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2025-07-31. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  23. ↑ "China's 'Dark Fleet' working to evade sanctions, import Iranian oil". IFMAT. 2025-08-04. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  24. ↑ "How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions". The Week. 2025-08-01. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
  25. ↑ Kypriotaki, Anastasia (2025-08-06). "Shadow fleet keeps expanding despite sanctions and regulations". SAFETY4SEA. Retrieved 2025-08-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.