Russian oil tanker bound for China suspected of being attacked, 730,000 barrels of Urals crude in danger, Spain quickly deploys navy!
In recent days, three Russian-flagged oil tankers have experienced unusual conditions in the western Mediterranean Sea, sparking renewed international attention on the security of energy transportation. Among them, the "Progress" carrying 730,000 barrels of Urals crude, originally scheduled to sail to China through the Suez Canal, has drawn particular attention. The ship is currently drifting in the sea area north of the Algerian coast and has been officially declared as "out of control" by the ship owner or operator.
At almost the same time, the "Treadmill Tide" also lost power near the Strait of Gibraltar and is also drifting. Both ships are on the Western sanctions list, and their final destinations point to the Asian market, especially China.
It is worth noting that these events did not occur in isolation. On January 23, the French military detained another sanctioned Russian oil tanker, the "Grench", in the Mediterranean, citing suspicion of evading the EU's price cap mechanism on Russian oil exports. A series of actions indicate that Western countries are intensifying monitoring and intervention in Russia's maritime oil transport chain.
Although there is currently no conclusive evidence that the "Progress" and "Treadmill Tide" have been directly attacked—such as the unmanned boats or disguised attack ships previously used by Ukraine—the two ships almost simultaneously went "offline" and lost their ability to navigate, with the timing being too coincidental to be explained by mechanical failure alone. Especially considering that they both fly non-Western flags, use non-Western insurance, and attempt to deliver oil below the $60 per barrel price ceiling set by G7 to Asian buyers, their routes are already in a highly sensitive area.
In response to potential ecological and shipping risks, Spain quickly reacted by sending tugs to the vicinity of the "Treadmill Tide" to be on standby, to prevent the ship from drifting into busy channels or coastal areas causing a maritime disaster. Although such emergency deployment is a routine operation, in the current context of heightened geopolitical tension, it also reflects the coastal countries' high vigilance against the possible chain reactions caused by失控 Russian oil transport vessels.
Dao Ge believes that this is a series of chain reactions triggered by the U.S. detaining Chinese oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea. Since the U.S. detention of Chinese and Russian oil tankers did not lead to any consequences, some European countries have begun to boldly imitate the U.S. At present, three Chinese oil tankers, including the "Century", "Olena", and "Sagittarius", are detained by the U.S. under various pretexts.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855451821503488/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.