Another trick these ships use is to steal the identity of scrapped vessels by using their unique registration numbers assigned by the International Maritime Organization – similar to criminals using the identity of a dead person.
These are known as “zombie ships”.
Last April, a ship called Varada arrived in Malaysian waters after a two-month journey from Venezuela.
It raised suspicions because it was a 32-year-old boat and flew the flag of the Comoros, an island nation off east Africa, which is a popular choice among ships that want to avoid detection.
According to a Bloomberg investigation, it was a zombie ship, as the real Varada had been scrapped in Bangladesh in 2017.
The news agency compared satellite images with historical photos to detect four zombie ships carrying Venezuelan crude oil.
Other common tactics include disguising the origin of crude oil by transferring it in international waters to legally compliant tankers with other flags.
These then deliver the oil to its destination, presenting it as coming from a country that is not sanctioned.
This happened with Venezuelan oil exports to China during Trump’s first term when sanctions were tightened.
Another common trick among these tankers is disabling the Automatic Identification System, which transmits data including the vessel’s name, flag, position, speed or route.
This allows ships to hide their identity and location.
Maritime risk company Vanguard Tech says it believes The Skipper was “spoofing its position for a long time” – that is, transmitting a false signal, making it appear to be in a different location.
