Representatives of transport security organizations are concerned about the latest plans of the Russian authorities regarding the movement of tankers carrying oil and liquefied natural gas. Their concerns are shared by experts from the International Maritime Organization.
The Russian authorities intend to limit IMO access to data on remote recognition of ships through the AIS systems (allowing the exchange of data on the location and course of ships in real time), LRIT (long-range identification and tracking system) and mandatory systems.
The Russians note that such measures are dictated by “the need to protect merchant ships from acts of unlawful interference: targeting of fire weapons, commercial espionage and financial blackmail.”
According to IMO experts, such steps by the Russian government will lead to an increase in the danger of the movement of Russian ships. This will lead to an increasing number of collisions with ships from other countries and an increase in the number of oil accidents. Also, the lack of control over the movement of ships will lead to an increase in the number of flights carrying prohibited goods (weapons, drugs, etc.)
Researchers and experts call for increased pressure on the Russian government to prevent such steps. They also believe that it is necessary to increase the frequency of inspections by law enforcement officers of Russian tanker flights, up to and including the arrests of ships.
