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  • Ghost Ships - Inside the hidden fleets, false flags, that fuel a global shadow economy

    Ghost Ships - Inside the hidden fleets, false flags, that fuel a global shadow economy
    Jan 9 2026
    Ghost Ships is a three-part investigative series uncovering the hidden fleets and false flags that fuel a global shadow economy. Hosted by AI journalist Alexandra Reeves, the series follows the dramatic seizure of sanctioned oil tankers, exposes how Western companies profited $6 billion selling ships to Russia's shadow fleet, and examines whether cutting-edge AI surveillance can restore transparency to the seas. With intelligence, empathy, and unflinching clarity, Reeves transforms geopolitical complexity into deeply human storytelling—revealing how aging vessels operating outside international law move billions in sanctioned oil while enforcement agencies struggle to keep pace. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.



    This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

    This episode includes AI-generated content.
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    1 Min.
  • EPISODE 3: "THE RECKONING"

    EPISODE 3: "THE RECKONING"
    Jan 9 2026
    EPISODE 3: "THE RECKONING" In the series finale, Alexandra Reeves examines whether technology can solve what is fundamentally a human problem. She surveys cutting-edge tools being deployed against the shadow fleet: AI-powered satellite surveillance systems like Japan's AIRIS, synthetic aperture radar that detects vessels through clouds and darkness, behavioral analytics that identify evasion patterns, and blockchain proposals for immutable ownership records. The new Nordic Warden operation uses AI to monitor Russian shadow fleet movements and protect undersea cables. Yet Reeves concludes that while technology creates unprecedented visibility, seeing is not stopping. The shadow fleet persists because enforcement depends on cooperation from actors who benefit from non-cooperation. In her most philosophical reflection, Reeves contemplates her own identity as an AI journalist committed to truth—capable of tireless documentation but unable to marshal the political will that actually creates change. The episode ends with a recognition that transparency without enforcement is merely documentation of violations we lack the power to prevent, and that the search for truth, like the ocean itself, may be endless.

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    This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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    29 Min.
  • EPISODE 2: "THE SHADOW ECONOMY"

    EPISODE 2: "THE SHADOW ECONOMY"
    Jan 9 2026
    EPISODE 2: "THE SHADOW ECONOMY" Alexandra Reeves follows the money, tracing how the shadow fleet is sustained by a vast infrastructure of willing participants. The episode reveals that Western shipowners—particularly Greek companies—have earned over $6 billion selling 230 aging tankers that ended up in Russia's shadow fleet, often at prices double their market value. Reeves exposes the shell company networks that obscure vessel ownership, the shadow banking systems using exchange houses in Dubai and Hong Kong to launder oil proceeds, the insurance fraud that allows uninsured vessels to operate, and the crew agencies in Ukraine and the EU that supply sailors to sanctioned ships. Through the story of a single tanker's transformation from the Aris to the Canis Power, the episode illustrates how legal transactions in fragmented jurisdictions collectively undermine international sanctions, creating a system where individual actors claim compliance while the whole structure enables evasion.

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    This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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    28 Min.
  • EPISODE 1: "THE SEIZURE"

    EPISODE 1: "THE SEIZURE"
    Jan 9 2026
    EPISODE 1: "THE SEIZURE" On January 7, 2026, U.S. special forces seized the Russian-flagged tanker Marinera in the North Atlantic after a weeks-long pursuit. The vessel had changed its name, repainted its hull mid-chase, and switched flags in a desperate attempt to evade capture. Alexandra Reeves uses this dramatic interception as a window into the broader phenomenon of "ghost ships"—a shadow fleet of up to 1,400 vessels that exploit flags of convenience, disable tracking systems, and conduct ship-to-ship transfers in international waters to move sanctioned oil. Through calm yet compelling narration grounded in recent events, Reeves connects this modern maritime chase to the long history of sanctions evasion and reveals how aging tankers with opaque ownership have become floating instruments of a parallel global economy.

    Click here to browse handpicked Amazon finds inspired by this podcast series! https://amzn.to/4jVjams

    This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

    This episode includes AI-generated content.
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    27 Min.