Possible Actions by Coastal States to Protect Their Marine Environment from Oil Tankers in the Dark Fleet

Abstract An unintended consequence of the sanctions on the Russian Federation, Iran, and Venezuela is the creation of a ‘dark fleet’ of oil tankers that do not comply with the International Maritime Organization ( IMO ) regulations on the safety of navigation and protection of the marine environment. These tankers are environmental disasters waiting to happen and present a serious threat to the marine environment of coastal States. In this article, we examine these issues and explore the options that coastal States can take under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ( LOSC ) to protect their marine and coastal environment from the tankers in the dark fleet.