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A new hub is emerging for ship-to-ship (STS) transfers of Russian oil. In the shadow tanker game of whac-a-mole where some areas make headlines and then fade from view, Israeli maritime artificial intelligence firm Windward has identified an area near the Suez Canal in Egyptian waters as a new spot for ship-to-ship meetings. The average number of meetings in the area during 2022 was one. In 2023 so far, that average increased by 400%, according to tracking from Windward. At the same time, Windward detected a noticeable uptick for location manipulation of global navigation satellite systems in the area.
“As media focus was directed to the Ceuta and Senegal hubs, it seems that activities there decreased. Both decreased by 70% compared to Q2,” Windward noted in its Q3 report on the Russian dark fleet.
South Korea, Mersin, and Malta hubs saw a 37%, 33%, and 28% increase respectively in meetings. Malta is an EU member state, but publicly tried to object to the 11th sanctions package that specifically targets STS operations.
