He was, of course, referring to the tanker that had been renamed and reregistered this week when sailing, without a cargo, from the Caribbean to Russia, and which was boarded by US troops, apparently airlifted from UK bases yesterday, with the active support of UK naval forces.
I question the validity of that action: it looks very like piracy to me.
By definition piracy cannot be committed by a State.
Sigh.
On the other hand this is amusing:
The ship was sailing in international waters when seized. The intention of the seizure appears to be to bring the crew to trial in the USA for sanctions breaking. If that was happening, I would condemn the crime, but the arrests and seizure of the vessel still appear to lack conformity with international law. The US attitude now appears to be that anyone can be arrested anywhere by them, and the UK appears to be endorsing that view by supporting that operation. I wonder what will happen when others apply that logic? The obvious question to ask is whether the right the US claims is peculiar to them, in which case it is not international law but organised thuggery and law breaking that is in operation, or whether it is universal, in which case, is anyone now safe?
Britain once went to war against the US over this very issue. The Americans saying you cannot board and inspect and the UK insisting the Royal Navy could do anything it liked, anywhere, anywhen. The RN was right, of course. Well, for about a further century they were.
Let me, however, return to the subject of my tweet. It has been well known for decades, and was documented by me in my 2010 book on tax havens, that essentially disposable tax haven companies, enjoying significant levels of opacity as to their operations, ownership and control, are widely used in shipping to limt the information available on the identity of those managing more marginal shipping fleets of vesels used for santion busting and other illict trades. The call for accountability on this issue has been going on for a long time, requiring proper corporate identities with open registers of beneficial ownerships and officers, as well as proper accounts on public record, but although the UK has the power to enforce this requirement in its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies, in none of which are such things properly available, nothing is really happening to effect the required levels of openness.
If anyone wants to know why “shadowy maritime activity” is happening, it is because successive UK governments have facilitated it. We are to blame.
And that’s even more amusing. Thje seized tanker had just been reflagged as Russian. Ever so subject to British law that is, right?
Verging on the opinion of I hope they all lose.
However it’ll be amusing if:
The Chinese declare prominent Taiwanese pols to be operating drug cartels.
A US owned ship is arrested somewhere and taken to Russia / China for investigation of irregularities.
The Murkans like Keef Flyalot never seem to consider consequences and the probability of Tit for Tat performative nonsense to continue.
Also just a general point but can a ship break sanctions on somewhere if it never actually got to that somewhere.
It would indeed be interesting. But I guess that’s an underlying message to them, do you dare? I suspect they’ll don’t.
If Russia had tried to execute the Maduro heist, they’d have done it but with hordes of casualties on both sides and civilians slaughtered in the crossfire. China has literally zero ability to project power that far. Chairman Pooh is too busy gutting the senior ranks of the PLA for it to organise such a thing.
Russia did try a version of the Maduro heist – in Kyiv in 2022.
Didn’t end well for them (though it had succeeded in Kabul in 1979)
Pfft. That was an Iraq style Thunder Run, not a grab.
If Russian special forces tried to kidnap someone, they’d most likely accidentally kill them, 400 random bystanders, and half of their own guys based on previous Slav Ops.
There was the
short busspecial op in an airport near Kiev too, not just the armoured column turkey shoot.Yes, the northern tentacles were an effort to scare Kiev into negotiations/submission/running away to Lvov tho. They sent enough men to cause a major ruckus, but not enough to capture a city the size of Kiev in the face of serious armed opposition.
Didn’t work, obvs. Tbf the entire “special military operation” was initially predicated on the same idea that Russia might be able to do this on the cheap.
That’s an alternative to your previous argument that the “northern tentacles” were a successful distraction for the south-east operation.
Improvement.
They did tie down a lot of Ukie resources in the first weeks of the war. The guys fighting Russians in the vicinity of Kev were unable to teleport to the eastern front to simultaneously fight Russians there. The Rus went through eastern Ukraine like shit through a goose in early ’22 until they overextended themselves and started battering their heads against fortified cities.
War plans are executed in parallel, not serial.
The Chinese declare prominent Taiwanese pols to be operating drug cartels.
Even the Chinese like a fig leaf of credibility. When they go after Taiwenese pols it will be for something like treason because they support independence.
If the Chinks had the power to do so, they would do so.
Tbf, they’re already regularly being dicks to the vessels of other nations in the South China Sea
China cannot survive loss of trade with the US.
Invading Taiwan will result in the death of three hundred million Chinese from starvation. China’s posturing about Taiwan is all bluff. A rather stupid bluff.
.
Can the US – or anywhere – survive a loss of trade with China?
A couple more years of Trump decoupling us from the Chinese economy and yes, we mostly could. Worst case we’d just sink to mainland Europe level’s of poverty.
As to the last part – yes.
For the previous part, its about *reality*, not ‘rules’. At the end of the day are the others brave enough to do it? Do they think they have what it takes to handle the repercussions?
Reflagging to escape TRUMP is virtuous.
Reflagging to escape TAX is wicked.
Do I understand correctly?
It’s like the fuss about the new official version of the Jan 6 demonstrations.
Oddly enough, this version is roughly what I’ve always believed happened. But as you point out, a pro-Trump version is always wicked.
Yep, as always with the left it all comes down to “you bad intentions, we good intentions”
True. The cutlass, eye patch and parrot are identical though.
Identical but, since state-owned, ten times more expensive.
I believe the US has issued letters of marque and reprisal against Latin American drug cartels. Not piracy by the state, but certainly sanctioned.
Funny how Murphy now supports national sovereignty and objects to one State interfering in the affairs of another.
But when it was crackdowns on so-called “tax havens”, countries forcing others to change their internal tax system, he was the one of the loudest supporters of it.
Spud probably thinks consistency a feature of small minds. Many conspiracy theorists do.
Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself,
I am large, I contain multitudes…
Walt Whitman
I wonder, what was on the ship? It’s a lot of effort to arrest a few blokes for sanctions breaking…
Maybe the seizure is the point, not the cargo.
Russia has just seen the United States kick its Latin American ally in the balls while completely nullifying their expensive Russian AD and fighter jets, which will give the Muscovites a cold thrill of fear considering what F-35s – and the new Yank stealth bombers – could do to targets in Russia.
Senor Tromp wants Pooty to do a deal with him over Ukraine.
So, nice ship you used to have, Vlad. Maybe you should deal with Trump before you lose other things too.
Not so much wolf warrior diplomacy (Chinks reeeing autistically) as Get Daddy’s Belt diplomacy.
Possible, but the Russian buildup was as curious as the American. That was a lot of effort (ownership emphasis, implied threats and naval asset movement) for an empty rust bucket.
The ship had come from Iran and while it’s likely it was going to pick up some Venesludge to take to China, it’s also likely it was transporting something and/or someone dodgy related to the terror network of which Chavistazuela is part.
The Russians are very active in Africa; with their new client in Madagascar they could disrupt the alternative maritime route for Red Sea closures.
Lots of noise about Greenland but lots of US kit headed to not-Greenland.
Exciting times and hilarious Donald tweets.
According to this:
https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2026/01/05/how-snatching-maduro-screws-up-everyone-elses-plans-lemme-count-the-ways-n3810496
Iran is also very active in Chavistazuela, where they build Shahed drones. Even an oil tanker has enough superstructure space to transport control electronics and other bits.
The only thing we can say for sure is, the future will be funny
Katie Hopkins does her bit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDsRzFM6N7M
“when sailing, without a cargo, “
I…. find it highly unlikely …. that a modern (super)tanker goes from A to B without any cargo on board.
Especially one that just conveniently switched “nationality” to Russian.
Whatever it was, it doesnt weigh any more than air. ( Grey bit is under water when loaded)
The Yanks do actually say it is not currently carrying any oil but had a previous history and was improperly registered / stateless.
I only know what I’ve read about Venezuelan oil, but apparently it’s not the best.
Still I googled, and a tanker of oil can be worth $200 million (big tanker, best oil).
Say one of these full of V crude sludge is worth $50 mill? I wonder if they thought they’d see what would happen without risking the oil?
Its heavy stuff, US light / sweet is best suited for petrol, heavy stuff used for diesel / aviation.
However, most southern US regineries are designed to process heavy crude like Venez, reconfiguring a refinery has massive costs.
Still, wonder how long before the US UK etc can actually build an oil tanker.
My understanding is that the light / sweet allows yoiu to build a cheaper refinery, while the heavy (sour or not) requires a more complicated (and expensive) refinery – but also allows a wider product slate and higher recovery / profit per barrel of input. If you have the high-complexity refinery for it, the heavy crude is the preferred input.
See here
Thanks didnt know those details.
Explains why the more complex refineries were built in southern usa
It’s a bit like North Sea Oil……
Quite a bit of it is *not* preferred for Fuel Output.. It’s too heavy/contaminated for that.
It gives a *LOT* of half-fabricates which can be used in the chemical industry *without* having to go through all the trouble of synthesising it from methane up..
Half the Greater Rotterdam “refinery complex” and “chemical complex” here in Clogland** is about getting stuff in, modifying it to what *another* plant firther down the line needs and passing it on.
** Where I live we “only” have half the Sea Tugs, 2 of the Floating Cranes, and ..3 refurbishing wharves for river shipping.
The three wharves who did things like Bezos’ Yaught ( and others) slightly up-river are merely using Availability of Pretty Specialised Parts…
The entire complex , just for Carbohydrates, is effectively Amsterdam Harbour to Antwerp + subsidriaries, stretching all the way up the Rhine and Meuse to the Ruhr Glob and the Wallonian Polluters.
It’s a *huge* wedge of connected ..Stations.. where each bit does its part.. Like Chinese selling rocks to each other… Except the rocks are actually worth something..
2 of my mates are Mates/Boatsmen on some of those river ships.
It’s iluminating to hear about *what* they transport. And when, and to where, and what they take in, on a three-four week Roundabout from Rotterdam up the River.
Which is why I’m …hesitant… about the “No Cargo” bit…
If a *small* ship ( a mere 120 meters, 5 holds..) can’t afford to “run empty” in a…target-rich environment…
I very much doubt their bigger Sisters can.
If an idiot like me, with only an uncle who actually owned a river-type oil tanker, and two mates who are making their Daily Bread off river Shipping and telling Tall Stories, can figure out “running empty” better has a Damned Good Reason…
Purely on Anecdotal I can call “Bullshyte”. Because no owner/captain would allow “empty” to exist on a ship on the move, unless there’s Profit in it.
The margins are simply too small…
But as Nessi has pointed out, whatever the cargo is it’s not as heavy as a regular load of oil. What might an oil tanker carry from Iran to Venezuela that makes it worth the trip – even if only in tandem with the return trip loaded with oil – that would let it ride that high?
Its heavy stuff, US light / sweet is best suited for petrol, heavy stuff used for diesel / aviation.
However, most southern US regineries are designed to process heavy crude like Venez, reconfiguring a refinery has massive costs I believe.
Still, wonder how long before the US UK etc can actually build an oil tanker.
You don’t have to “believe” about the costs…
There’s a “window” , but changing your basic input basically means your entire heating/refinery stack needs to be replaced entirely.
Because of Boiling Points…. And you can’t argue with Physics… merely mitigate it…
A refinery is nothing more than a Verrah Compalacated distillation rig, after all…
And even changing your amateur home rig for …Booze… is something only done if Absolutely Necessary. And that’s just for Ethanol….
Edit: Ethanol that doesn’t kill you ( long or short term)…
(My rig is a tad more “wasteful” , but runs on Chateau Migraine on Special in the supermarket.
I *hate* to think to adapt it to what I actually ferment… More waste for similar results, for less consisten output.
And that’s just for hobby’ing with liqueurs and extracts….)
So yeah… “bit” of an operation… With the Greenies just *waiting* to protest….
For the “invalid email” bug:
Simply copy/replace your entire text, ctrl-F5 the page, then edit** /ctrl-V your text.
** there’s a Timer on the Edit button, so ….well… yeah… but within that window….
I can’t help but feel the Scripts Hate “grammar/style” edits, but allow Wads of Text as “valid”.
I’ve found if you simply copy the text, then reload the page, then Edit, it works.
“A refinery is nothing more than a Verrah Compalacated distillation rig”: that was true up until the 1940s when the cat cracker was introduced.
As for Venezuela, as I understand it they have fields that produce light sweet crude, others that produce heavy sour crude and, in addition, have lots of tar sands. But it turns out that socialism can cock it all up. Did you ever?
Or was it just a guy with a flag and a can of paint?
A long time ago I was seariding HMS Kent out in the Gulf, and they were asked to board and check a suspicious vessel. She had one name and homeport in raised metal letters on her stern… painted over with a different name and homeport… that didn’t match her flag.
The boarding team reported that the ship’s master had no idea what his ship was called or where she was supposed to be homeported; he just went where the instructions from “management” told him to. He didn’t ask questions, he didn’t open the containers, he just got the ship from A to B (and seemed relieved he wasn’t being robbed or shaken down for bribes this time)
Even twenty years ago, this was just the way some parts of the world worked…
Jason’s face when
Not just those bits, UK / Europe as well.
Stroll round Aberdeen harbour or Rotterdam & you’ll spot virtually every ship over 5 years old has been renamed & reflagged.
Norwegians do it for tax reasons as govt incentivises them to keep their oil service fleet new and to keep their shipyards in work.
Thats why Norway still has a maritime fleet – theyve loaded the costs onto a still functional oil industry.
Murphy: Russia is a kleptocratic dictatorship operating entirely outwith the rule of law!
Also Murphy: We must protect Russia’s sovereign rights at all times!
These people don’t even hear themselves, so strong is the TDS.
Scott whatsisface said the other day – I believe accurately – that if Trump cured cancer but the cure caused ‘dander’ (I assume dandruff), the headlines would be to the effect of BAD ORANGE MAN BEHIND DANDER OUTBREAK
Yes, it’s hilarious seeing some lefties who have been urging Trump to supply Tomahawks to Ukraine suddenly complaining that he’s risking nukular wah with Russia.
Partisanship is a funny old thing.
Interesting column in the Nikkei.
Maduro may also have let his guard down, believing that the U.S. would not launch a massive military action against Venezuela while the Chinese delegation was overnighting in Caracas.
I suspect that for DT that was a feature, not a bug. DT has certainly put a spanner in Xi’s works but it’s becoming clear that DT wants to turn the Western Hemisphere into the USA’s fiefdom, which is why he talks about Greenland.
As I observed yesterday, I think he thinks this is the only way to prevent the world falling to China and Russia in the long term. I think he regards the EU as irrelevant and Xi’s puppy, and the Middle East a distraction. Africa? Monkeys, Russians and Chinese. Moslems? Fifth Column everywhere which can only be dealt with by rebuilding Western cultural confidence. That requires overcoming the Marxists and post-modernists funded by Xi and Putin.
Oh, and NATO? Now pointless. Most members are corrupt geriatric woke globalists. As useful as a chocolate teapot to the defence of the Western Hemisphere.
Oh, and NATO? Now pointless. Most members are corrupt geriatric woke globalists. As useful as a chocolate teapot to the defence of the Western Hemisphere.
It’s more than that, Obama was a warning and gave a warning.
After WW2 a majority of Americans, including senior politicians and policy makers had close links to Europe, most were at worst 3rd if not 2nd or even 1st generation Europeans with close links to Europe. Committing to the defence Europe in the face of communism was easy.
Now very few have such close links, Obama had none, and don’t see why they should help a continent that refuses to help itself. And those that do have a hard time convincing the 6th+ generation Europeans let alone those without European connections.
Cant say I blame them, they gave us enough warnings.
No-one likes a supercilious twat sneering at you for being nouveau and unsophisticated whilst also sponging off you. That’s Europe and the USA.
Indeed, and Europeans have done a lot of sneering at the USA.
in the late ‘90s my wife had some of her friends round for dinner and one of them was being particularly obnoxious about US television. I asked her how much French, German or Italian TV she watched, to which the answer was none, as expected.
When I pointed out that she needed to broaden her horizons because TV in none English speaking countries could be equally crap I received a good kick under the table from my wife.
…and how the TV worm has turned since.
By definition piracy cannot be committed by a State.
Ooo,you’ve destroyed my great line about the West Africa Patrol in that we engaged in international piracy to stamp out the slave trade.
Spud: We are to blame.
Shades of Peter Simple…
I can’t be arsed to press play but Spud has now taken to making videos in his back garden , holding a microphone as if he’s some news reporter ‘on the scene’. He really is a pretentious twat.
With the sound off I’m finding these ‘shorts’ amusing. Something of the donkey jacket Soccer Saturday about him “Let’s go over to Motty at Bridgford Park and find out who’s conceded a penalty to Forest, Richard”
Notice he doesn’t mention what China’s been doing to other countries for the last several years.
What irks the bien pensants Is the return to the Great Powers and away from ‘riles based international regulation’ that has been a complete aberration since the end of WW2
Matters of state are being decided in terms of objective national interest
What Trump is doing is no different to the way the Good Ole British Empire operated for a couple of centuries
The EU is now strategically irrelevant
Nailed it.