Take a Look at This Dirty Picture

When the West imposed sanctions on Russia due to its war in Ukraine, it created a dark fleet. These ships don’t abide by international norms for safety or the environment. [Energy and Capital Header] Practical Investment Analysis for the New Energy Economy Take a Look at This Dirty Picture Christian DeHaemer | May 16, 2023 Here is a dirty picture showing how the dark fleet avoids the Russian oil sanctions. This has been going on since February. [Dirty Picture] This image was taken from the MarineTraffic blog, and it shows two oil tankers transferring 715,000 barrels of dirty Russian crude oil. Anonymous buyers purchase cheap oil in Russia and then transfer it to a legitimate tanker on the open ocean at which point they can avoid the sanctions and sell it at a higher price. When the West imposed sanctions on Russia due to its war in Ukraine, it created a dark fleet. These are mostly old ships that in previous years would have gone to the scrapyard. Now, however, oil tanker companies can sell them at huge markups to anonymous buyers. Obviously, these ships don’t abide by international norms for safety or the environment. One empty tanker named the Pablo exploded off the coast of Malaysia about two weeks ago. Usually a ship has its empty tanks cleared of explosive vapor after it's been unloaded. It hasn't been confirmed yet, but it is believed that this procedure wasn’t done and that it led to the loss of the ship and killed three sailors. According to Splash 247, an industry website, the ship was transporting Iranian crude and wasn’t insured. The Income Play of the Decade Fortune 500 companies like Amazon, Kroger, Walmart, and many more are now being FORCED to pay three warehouse "landlords" millions... And they’re sending a dedicated cut of this money directly to partners like you and me EVERY SINGLE MONTH! All you need to do is stake your claim and you could be receiving your first check within 30 days. [Here’s everything you need to get started...]( Iran Takes Tankers In other news, Iran has detained three oil tankers in the last 19 days. This is a tit-for-tat move because the U.S. has been seizing Iranian tankers in an effort to enforce anti-Iran sanctions due to Iran’s nuclear weapons program. After the first two tankers were taken, the U.S. Navy put out a strong press release: "Iran’s unwarranted, irresponsible, and unlawful seizure and harassment of merchant vessels must stop,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “U.S. 5th Fleet and our partners are committed to protecting navigational rights in these critical waters.” In 2021, President Biden pulled the last aircraft carrier out of the Persian Gulf, but now the Navy says it is going to ramp up actions. Iran seems willing to take the risk. Times Are Changing The U.S. has essentially become energy-independent after fracking unleashed the oil and gas in the Permian Basin. Civilization Could Crumble Without THIS Oil Basin... Despite advancements in renewable energy, the world still desperately needs oil. Even Elon Musk admits that without it, “civilization will crumble.” And right now, a devastating oil shortage is looming, threatening to dismantle our society. But an untapped basin in West Texas containing 46 BILLION barrels of oil could fill that gap. Three tiny companies leading this $5.9 trillion oil boom could hand early investors a mountain of cash. [Get the full uncensored story now.]( The Saudis, like a jilted lover, have turned toward China and Russia. The Saudis have said they will transact international trades for oil in currencies other than the dollar. For the past 50 years, the U.S. guaranteed Saudi Arabia's safety in exchange for oil and the petrodollar. That deal is over. One wonders how much the U.S. cares about the ancient rivalries in the Middle East or keeping the sea lanes open for uninsured Russian oil floating to China. To paraphrase Otto von Bismarck, the Middle East isn’t worth the life of one Marine. The flip side of this is that legitimate, insured oil tankers are making a killing as the number of tankers available shrinks and they travel farther to get the oil where it needs to go. One company I follow is returning money to shareholders by paying a dividend with a 30% yield. Its net income increased 1,376% last year! Most of them are buying back shares and paying off debt. Furthermore, due to the increase in the value of their ships, many are trading well below their net asset value (NAV). And there are plenty of upside catalysts, including China’s economy ramping up, Biden refilling the SPR, and an incident in the Strait of Hormuz. My [Launchpad Trader]( readers are already getting paid and waiting on the next dividend. [Join us today.](  All the best, [Christian DeHaemer Signature] Christian DeHaemer [[follow basic]Check us out on YouTube!]( Christian is the founder of [Bull and Bust Report]( and an editor at [Energy and Capital](. For more on Christian, see his editor's [page](. [Fb]( [Li]( [Tw]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. You can manage your subscription and get our privacy policy [here](. Energy and Capital, Copyright © 3 East Read Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. Please note: It is not our intention to send email to anyone who doesn't want it. If you're not sure why you're getting this e-letter, or no longer wish to receive it, get more info [here]( including our privacy policy and information on how to manage your subscription. If you are interested in our other publications, please call our customer service team at [1-877-303-4529](tel:/18773034529).