The Russians clumsily hide the names of the ships passing through the Bosphorus from the media

The crews of vessels connected to Russia and involved in illegal transportation crudely and clumsily hide the identification marks of these vessels, violating the laws of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

This was told by marine columnist Yoruk Ishik, writes Splash 24/7. 

According to the expert, he tracked dozens of ships on which the original names and even IMO numbers were painted over.

“There are more and more homemade attempts to write names that are ridiculously small, crooked, or written by people who are not familiar with Latin letters,” the reviewer noted.

He published a photo of similar transit vessels on X’s social network. One of these examples was the bulk carrier “Murmanskyi Maritime Shipping” under the Russian flag of Grumant.

Recently, the ship passed through the Bosphorus to occupied Sevastopol after delivering 20,000 tons of stolen Ukrainian wheat to Tartus in Syria. The bulker crossed the Bosphorus with the first four letters removed and the company logo painted over.

An IMO representative stated that SOLAS XI-1/3 requires ship identification numbers to be permanently marked in a prominent place either on the ship’s hull or superstructure.

States as flag, port or coastal States are responsible for enforcing this regulation.

IMO Resolution A.1162(32) also calls on governments to take all measures within national law to prevent and stop all forms of maritime fraud and to cooperate fully in the exchange of information to that end.

It will be recalled that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the resolution “Impact of the Russian armed invasion of Ukraine on international shipping”. The resolution was adopted on December 4, 2023. The document emphasizes the importance of maintaining the safety of sailors and vessels operating in the Black Sea.