The Trident

Guests Michelle Bockmann, John Driscoll, and Tomer Raanan join Dave Brown to discuss the so-called ‘shadow fleet’, describing the large, and growing unregulated network of aging oil tankers and cargo ships, (often older than 15 years), that use deceptive practices like turning off maritime tracking systems, faking identities (false flags/names), and using shell companies to operate outside international sanctions, primarily to transport sanctioned oil (like Russian or Iranian) or conduct other illicit trade, while also posing potential major environmental and safety risks due to lack of proper insurance and oversight.Guests:Michelle Wiese Bockmann is a Senior Maritime Intelligence Analyst for Windward and London-based energy commodities writer specializing in sanctioned oil flows and the ‘shadow fleet’, (deceptive and illicit shipping practices, and their regulatory, security and legal implications). Bockmann has more than 25 years’ experience across three continents in shipping and oil markets with a focus on the intersection of global shipping and geopolitics, maritime intelligence, and risk &amp; compliance. Michelle has also worked as a journalist and political writer for The Australian, and worked for Bloomberg News, Lloyd’s List, and Fairplay shipping publications.John J. Driscoll is a 31-year career officer in the U.S. Coast Guard as an expert in maritime law enforcement, theater security cooperation, and maritime and defense policy.  Captain Driscoll commanded five USCG Cutters, enforcing U.S. drug, immigration, and fisheries laws, as well as UN Security Council resolutions against Bosnia, Iraq, Libya, and North Korea. He served in defense policy and maritime law enforcement roles, including Chief of Drug and Migrant Interdiction at USCG Headquarters, and Director for Homeland Defense Integration in OSD Policy.Tomer Raanan is a maritime risk analyst at Lloyd’s List, where his reporting explores how geopolitics and regulation shape seaborne commerce, and how deceptive and high-risk practices are used to evade sanctions and facilitate illicit trade. In 2024, Tomer was named ‘Multimedia Journalist of the Year’ by the Seahorse Freight Association for uncovering a sanctions-skirting LPG shipping network. Before joining Lloyd’s List in 2022 as senior reporter, he worked for a decade in private security.Articles:Shadow Fleet: How illicit shipping networks broke global oil trade, S&amp;P Global Energy, YouTube, 22 Sep 2025Swedish Navy Finds Russian Military Personnel Aboard “Shadow Fleet” Tankers, Sania Kozatskyi, Militarnyi, 16 Dec 2025EU targets Russia’s shadow fleet with new sanctions, hitting businessmen and companies, AP News, 15 Dec 2025Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine: Council sanctions 9 shadow fleet enablers, Press Release,...

Episode 21: Casting Shadows on Darkened Fleets; the Maritime Irregular Fight for International Sanctions Enforcement

Guests Jada Fraser and Dr. Scott Edwards join host&nbsp;Col. Dave Brown&nbsp;and co-host&nbsp;Dr. Curtis Bell&nbsp;to analyze the continuing and growing need for broad and comprehensive maritime collaboration to protect shared commerce and increase security across the vastness of the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific.Articles:The Quad, AUKUS, and I2U2 formats: Major lessons from mini-laterals; J. Fraser, M. Soliman, 28 Jun 23An Allied Coast Guard Approach to Countering CCP Maritime Gray Zone Coercion; J. Fraser, 29 Mar 23Prospects for the Quad Coast Guards to Cooperate Toward Implementation of the Free and Open Indo- Pacific Vision; J. Bradford, K. Koga, S. Edwards, 12 Jun 23Fragmentation, Complexity and Cooperation: Understanding Southeast Asia’s Maritime Security Governance; S. Edwards, April 2022Surrounding the Ocean: PRC Influence in the Indian Ocean; D. Baruah, 18 Apr 23The Indo-Pacific Strategy: 2 Years Later; U.S. Dept of State, 14 FebThe Indian Ocean Strategic Map, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Freq Updated.Guests:Curtis Bell, Ph.D.&nbsp;– Associate Professor and Director of the Maritime Security and Governance Staff Course at the U.S. Naval War College. He has worked on five continents and presented to audiences including the African Union and United Nations. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Economist, several academic journals. He is also the founder of Stable Seas, and developer of the Maritime Security Index.Jada Fraser: Graduate student in Asian Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the&nbsp;Georgetown Journal of Asian Affairs.&nbsp;Ms. Fraser recently studied Japanese in Tokyo and served on an internship with US Indo-PACOM command. She is an author in her own right on aspects of countering China maritime coercion and particularly security alliance partnering in the Pacific.Scott Edwards, Ph.D.: Lecturer at the University of Reading and Research Fellow at the Yokosuka Council on Asia Pacific Studies. Dr. Edwards’ research and publication interests center on Southeast Asia’s maritime issues and the building of maritime security governance, within the Indo-Pacific. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Birmingham, and was formerly a postdoctoral research associate at both the University of Bristol and at the University of Leeds.