Russia has been using a fleet of ships to avoid sanctions and financially support its war in Ukraine. This is often facilitated by deceptive and even dangerous practises such broadcasting fake location data, sailing under false flags, and lying about the cargo contents of ships. Not only does this all undermine sanctions, it also poses a national security threat as these ships can be used to launch drones, sabotage sea cables, and conduct espionage. This event will explore how Russia is using shadow fleets, the threats posed, and how democratic countries can push back against them.

This event is online only. Sign up here.

Moderator:

Michael McManus

Michael McManus has spent nearly 20 years working in politics and international relations. He has experience working in Brussels, where he advised Members of the European Parliament on international trade and aid deals. This included work on post-Arab Spring states, and assistance packages to Ukraine. Michael then worked as an expert consultant on World Bank projects in the Global South. He also worked as a director of research in a migration-focused Washington D.C. organisation, helping to push legislation that cracked down on illegal immigration. Michael holds two Masters degrees, is fluent in French, and has visited 37 countries on five continents.

Speakers:

Michelle Bockmann

Michelle Wiese Bockmann is a maritime intelligence analyst and writer specialising in sanctioned oil flows and is an expert in the ‘shadow fleet’, deceptive and illicit shipping practices, and their regulatory, security and legal implications.
She has more than 25 years’ experience across three continents in shipping and oil markets with a focus on the intersection of global shipping and geopolitics, maritime intelligence, and risk and compliance. She is currently employed as a senior maritime intelligence analyst at Windward AI. She is part of the Distinguished Visiting Fellows Programme at the International Maritime Organisation’s International Maritime Law Institute and currently serves on the Comité Maritime International’s working group on Piracy, Maritime Violence, and Fraudulent Activity Including Fraudulent Registries and the Royal United Services Institute Maritime Sanctions Taskforce.

Petras Katinas 

Petras Katinas is an energy and sanctions analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. He has written extensively on energy and environmental issues, including a focus on the sanctions on the Russian oil industry. He produces detailed monthly intelligence updates on Russian fuel exports and sanctions and has written extensively in multiple press outlets on issues relevant to energy, environment, and Russian sanctions evasions.

Ulla Tapaninen

Ulla Tapaninen is Full Professor (maritime transport) at Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia, heading the Maritime Transport Research Group in the Estonian Maritime Academy. She is also Adjunct Professor (maritime economics and logistics) at the University of Turku, Finland. She has worked in key positions in two Finnish shipping companies (bulk and RoRo sector) and worked as a senior expert at the City of Helsinki in charge of maritime cluster development. Presently, she is on the board of the Port of Helsinki, one of the busiest international passenger ports in the world.