Michelle Wiese Bockmann
Principal Analyst, Lloyd's List Intelligence
Latest From Michelle Wiese Bockmann
India shuns Sovcomflot tankers as Russian oil imports fall
Imports by second-largest buyer of Russian oil drop by nearly a quarter month on month in February
Antigua and Barbuda fresh flag of choice for Russia-calling dark fleet tankers
Intensifying regulatory scrutiny and sanctions enforcement from Western regulators is seeing those tankers linked to US-incorporated Marshall Islands and Liberia registries find alternative flag providers
Gabon, UAE, Mauritius offer regulatory safe haven to sanctioned dark fleet operator Hennesea Holdings
The latest regulatory arbitrage play by Hennesea Holdings’ anonymous owner sees Gabon, UAE and Mauritius providing marine services for remaining tankers that were not designated by US regulators in January
Bulk carriers divert in record numbers from Red Sea to avoid Houthis
Overall transits through Bab el Mandeb strait drop 9% week on week, led by lowest number of bulk carriers using the narrow chokepoint connecting the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea since Houthis began targeting commercial shipping more than three months ago
Record volumes of Russian oil shipped outside the West’s reach after sanctions crackdown
Just 39% of tankers calling at Russian ports over February had marine insurance with the International Group of P&I clubs, a proxy for sanctions compliance with the G7 oil price cap — the lowest number since it was implemented 14 months ago
Ghost of US government ship turns up at Novorossiysk
A US-flagged tanker built in Bethlehem Steel in 1963 and scrapped in 2021 has pinged its AIS location in the Russian port of Novorossiysk recently, one of several bizarre AIS signals broadcasted by the dead vessel in the past four years