Coast Guard Rear Admiral Explains Challenges of Interdicting 'Ghost Vessels'

Coast Guard Staffing and Readiness

• 🎯 The Coast Guard was short of its authorized positions at the time of a recent review, though efforts are underway to increase authorized positions through Force Design 2028.
• ⚠️ Recruiting and retention remain challenges, even with plans to increase the number of positions.
• ⚓️ Beyond staffing, the readiness of Coast Guard assets like older cutters and aircraft is hampered by maintenance challenges, unavailable or obsolete parts, and age.
• ⏳ Plans to replace these aging assets are significantly behind schedule and over budget.

Interdicting 'Ghost Vessels'

• 🚢 An estimated 600-800 "ghost vessels" operate globally, primarily associated with sanctioned fleets from Iran, Venezuela, China, and Russia.
• 🤏 The Coast Guard interdicts only a very small percentage of these vessels, with recent efforts seeing only seven or eight interdicted in two months.
• 🗺️ These vessels operate outside the rule of law, often using sophisticated methods to evade detection.

Evasion Tactics of Ghost Vessels

• ❓ Ghost vessels make interdiction difficult through multiple tactics, including obfuscating their position using falsified Automatic Identification System (AIS) data.
• 📄 They also employ false documents, false ownership, and claim the identities of vessels that have already been destroyed.
• 🚢 Interdicting these large crude carriers, some over 1100 feet long, is extremely challenging at sea without significant support.
• 🌍 Their routes can be circuitous, such as traveling around the southern tip of Africa to reach destinations like Venezuela, further complicating interdiction efforts.