The West absolutely has entire fleets of covert trawlers and cargo ships performing various roles in service if national intelligence.
There have been some notable incidents that prove their existence as well as the ramifications when they get attacked like the USS Pueblo and the USS Liberty and a thousand that we don’t know about because they never got attacked by anyone, but which you can bet other intelligence services are aware of.
Oh. I don’t doubt that, I was taking the shadow fleet as a commercial fleet like the Russian one is. I have zero doubt about all non landlocked countries using civilian registered vessels for at least signal intelligence and special operations forces.
Except that any country with the capability of doing that also operates their own shadow fleet that would be equally vulnerable.
I don’t think calling the western fleets shadow fleets is really accurate, but you are right about the issue: in lawlessness everyone is an outlaw.
The West absolutely has entire fleets of covert trawlers and cargo ships performing various roles in service if national intelligence.
There have been some notable incidents that prove their existence as well as the ramifications when they get attacked like the USS Pueblo and the USS Liberty and a thousand that we don’t know about because they never got attacked by anyone, but which you can bet other intelligence services are aware of.
Oh. I don’t doubt that, I was taking the shadow fleet as a commercial fleet like the Russian one is. I have zero doubt about all non landlocked countries using civilian registered vessels for at least signal intelligence and special operations forces.