How Can European Companies Recruit Crews for the Global Shadow Fleet?

In late summer of 2022, Alpha Marine Service, a Ukraine-based crewing agency, posted a tanker recruitment notice on the messaging app Telegram. While the advert did not provide the vessel's IMO number, the vessel mentioned in the advert was registered in Panama and had an accurate deadweight tonnage, which matched that of a vessel named Glaucus. Glaucus had appeared on the United Against Nuclear Iran group’s shadow fleet list and was sanctioned by the U.S. government for smuggling Iranian oil.