The Pablo was part of a growing fleet of shadow tankers, transporting sanctioned oil with little regard for industry regulations. Hidden behind shell companies, shadow vessels are characterised by their repeated change of flag carriers and owners – and crucially – often operate without insurance. When a ship is abandoned beyond repair, the insurer becomes its owner and takes responsibility for its scrapping. Without a listed insurer, the Pablo remains where it is.
Ban making money and people start illegally making money.
“Sanctions” appeal to the sort of people who simply like banning things. They seem unconcerned as to whether it’s us or the enemy who is hurt more.
Blockades can work – see WWI, for example. But it took years and its major effect was on German food supplies. Are our antics disrupting Russian tucker? I’ve not seen it mentioned.
Ban making money and people start illegally making money.
Not exactly a great insight, though. Make anything illegal and some people start doing it illegally; doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make things illegal.
@pjf
Dunno, it’s not just illegal stuff, it’s anything that’s intended to control supply and demand that often causes problems.
Want to cut down on landfill. Solution: Introduce charges. Effect: Organised crime does waste collection and distribution.
Want to cut down on smoking. Solution: Push the price of tobacco up. Effect: organised crime smuggles and counterfeits tobacco products.
Want to stop people getting high. Solution: Make it all illegal. Effect: Organised crime does drug production, distribution and sales
Want to stop people getting drunk. Solution: Ban alcohol. Effect: Organised crime does alcohol production, distribution and sales. Also we get Joseph Kennedy as US ambassador…
I think there may be a pattern emerging…
And it all started off with Trump the Terrible dumping Barmy’s deal with Iran. So Biden the Brainless can’t be blamed for his sanctions on Russia.
One also notes that it’s the Guardian that doesn’t believe that the benign brown crewmen knew anything about this horridly illegal sanction busting.
But neither the US, nor anyone else, is interested in wasting time on enforcing the sanctions. And the law of the sea guarantees freedom of navigation, says Stockbruegger even for sanctions busters. So the customs established in the brave old days of the buccaneers still hamper the regulations that strangle everything on land.
PS. Steven Crook. Want to cut down on smoke from backyard incinerators – increase landfill!!