Invitation to attend an LSLC event – The Shadow Fleet: legal risks and contractual complications – 14th October

Introduction
The term “shadow fleet” refers to the growing number of maritime vessels owned and operated in a manner that bypasses international trade sanctions, embargoes and trade caps.  Methods adopted include turning off tracking devices, and the frequent use of changes of flag and ship-to-ship transfers at sea.
The phenomenon has existed for decades; however, its prevalence and significance has increased since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.  It is now estimated that there are 1,300 ‘shadow fleet’ vessels, including one in five oil tankers worldwide.  No longer a niche compliance concern, this is now a defining risk factor for the maritime industry.
An expert panel, chaired by Mrs Justice Dias DBE, will discuss the implications of these developments for ship owners, charterers and those advising them. 

Specific Issues for discussion:

• What precisely is the ‘shadow fleet’?  What distinguishes such vessel from merely “unregistered” (or fraudulently registered vessels)?
• Can a shadow fleet vessel be arrested?  If so, on what basis, and what issues arise?
• Can a shadow fleet vessel lawfully be interdicted?  If so, when, where and on what basis?
• Enforcement against shadow vessels: US civil forfeiture, a case study.
• Who are the proper parties to a dispute where complex charterparty structures obscure the underlying contractual relationships?
• Due diligence best practice: how to identify signs of AIS manipulation, complex ship-to-ship (STS) transfers, and obscured beneficial ownership structures; whether compliance protocols require updating to meet the heightened standard of “know your vessel” requirements.

Chair: The Honourable Mrs Justice Dias DBE

Panellists:
Diego Ramirez – Marshall Islands Registry and IMO Legal C’ttee
Ian Park  – Essex Court Chambers
Christina Kartali – Essex Court Chambers
Philip Roche – Norton Rose Fulbright 

Date: WEDNESDAY 14^th October 2026

Time:
17:30 – Registration
18:00 – Seminar starts
19:30 – Drinks reception
21.00 – Close

Venue: The IDRC, 1 Paternoster Lane, London, EC4M 7BQ