Explained in plain English
What is a 'shadow fleet'?
The story mentions Russia's 'shadow fleet' of oil tankers. These are vessels operating outside normal international shipping rules, often to bypass sanctions. They might use false flags, turn off tracking systems, or transfer oil at sea. Monitoring them uses up valuable naval resources, as the Ministry of Defence highlights.
Stories that explain this
Royal Navy spent 25% more time in July monitoring Russian vesselsThis explainer came from a news story
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