A Shadow-Navy oil tanker carrying Venezuelan crude near Singapore falsified its location.

• Bloomberg reports that a Shadow-Navy oil tanker ran aground near Singapore.

• The ship hid its location to avoid detection.

• It is carrying oil cargoes from Venezuela, according to energy research firms.

An oil tanker that previously falsified its location to avoid detection ran aground near Singapore earlier this week. Bloomberg report.

The vessel was carrying a cargo of oil from Venezuela, the report said, citing data from TankerTrackers.com and Kpler. Both companies said the ship was „cheating” or showing up on digital tracking systems near West Africa when it was off the coast of Venezuela.

A spokesman for Indonesia’s navy told Bloomberg that the 23-year-old Liberty is under investigation. A company called Skyward Management is listed as the ship’s technical manager, although ownership is unclear.

The grounding refers to a recent phenomenon involving so-called shadow tankers, or ships sailing without insurance or certificates equivalent to regulations. These fleets quietly ferry licensed goods and often have obscure ownership structures.

In concealing its location, the Liberty went against the recommendations of the International Maritime Organization, which advises not to falsify locations. However, according to Bloomberg, its legitimacy should be determined by individual governments.

The reports emerged amid Western sanctions and crude oil price caps last year Russia operates a shadow fleet of over 100 tankers. Many of those were redeployed from vessels serving Iran and Venezuela, two other countries facing oil embargoes, industry experts said.

Liberty underwent inspections in 2017 and 2019, at which time it was deemed high risk and was subsequently sold to new owners. However, later studies showed no additional risks.

Bloomberg previously reported A character Carrying Russian crude oil sold above the Western price ceiling has not been able to dock on India’s shores, a sign that it is trying to curry favor with the US by sticking to sanctions.

Read the original article Business Insider