Oil tanker caught red-handed in an act of sabotage against cables on the seabed between Finland and Estonia. The ship is confirmed to belong to Russian shadow fleet used for circumvention of sanctions
The solution to the Russian ‘shadow fleet’ is the same as the solution to Houthi and Somali pirates: armed merchant vessels and Letters of Marque and Reprisal. As the song says:
Yes and thanks for the great poem. Here in Denmark, we have a history of 'kaper' warfare or privateering from 1500s until it was banned in 1856, and after. The latest known of these Danish privateers operated in the South China Sea for the viceroy of Canton from 1879 to 1881 circa. Some of these letters are preserved, of course. We could take it up again, but.. you know, since Maersk have a big chunk of World trade, it could backfire. However, there is also a convention on sea cables from the time of the telegraph, and it is still in force, as far as I know. Russia, Denmark and USA are signatories. Russia will not respect international law, but since the shadow fleet flies other flags, it could be used against those countries.
The ‘poem’ is a verse from “Privateering” a great song on Mark Knopfler’s album of the same name. Armed merchant vessels were the norm pretty much right up to the 20th century. If I owned Maersk, I’d be ok with having my ships carrying a Bofors gun on the deck somewhere.
If it can be proven that it is deliberate and that a state (Russia) is behind, yes. But I think that is what NATO is going to discuss, if they open article 4 discussions, the stage just before article 5 'the musketeer oath'. So far, it is some kind of hybrid warfare. On the other hand, closing the international shipping lane through the Baltic Sea and the Danish Straits is an act of war according to the conventions. That's the big dilemma.
Anyway, thanks for introducing me and other readers to this topic. It does not seem to get much press in the American media. (You're probably saying to yourself, "As usual!") Anyway, I'll keep looking for updates on this issue.
The solution to the Russian ‘shadow fleet’ is the same as the solution to Houthi and Somali pirates: armed merchant vessels and Letters of Marque and Reprisal. As the song says:
‘Come with me to Barbary
We’ll ply there up and down
Not quite exactly
In the service of the crown “
Yes and thanks for the great poem. Here in Denmark, we have a history of 'kaper' warfare or privateering from 1500s until it was banned in 1856, and after. The latest known of these Danish privateers operated in the South China Sea for the viceroy of Canton from 1879 to 1881 circa. Some of these letters are preserved, of course. We could take it up again, but.. you know, since Maersk have a big chunk of World trade, it could backfire. However, there is also a convention on sea cables from the time of the telegraph, and it is still in force, as far as I know. Russia, Denmark and USA are signatories. Russia will not respect international law, but since the shadow fleet flies other flags, it could be used against those countries.
The ‘poem’ is a verse from “Privateering” a great song on Mark Knopfler’s album of the same name. Armed merchant vessels were the norm pretty much right up to the 20th century. If I owned Maersk, I’d be ok with having my ships carrying a Bofors gun on the deck somewhere.
Could one or more of these incidents be considered an act of war?
If it can be proven that it is deliberate and that a state (Russia) is behind, yes. But I think that is what NATO is going to discuss, if they open article 4 discussions, the stage just before article 5 'the musketeer oath'. So far, it is some kind of hybrid warfare. On the other hand, closing the international shipping lane through the Baltic Sea and the Danish Straits is an act of war according to the conventions. That's the big dilemma.
Anyway, thanks for introducing me and other readers to this topic. It does not seem to get much press in the American media. (You're probably saying to yourself, "As usual!") Anyway, I'll keep looking for updates on this issue.