Nordic-Baltic states and partners to demand insurance verification to target ‘shadow fleet’
The 12 Nordic-Baltic 8++ countries have announced coordinated measures to counter Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ of oil tankers that transport Russian oil in violation of the G7 price cap, focusing their action on insurance verification in key maritime chokepoints.
The dozen countries (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom) said in a joint statement they ‘are tasking respective maritime authorities to request relevant proof of insurance from suspected shadow vessels as they pass through the English Channel, the Danish Straits of the Great Belt, the Sound between Denmark and Sweden, and the Gulf of Finland’.
‘The shadow fleet presents risks to the environment, maritime safety and security, international seaborne trade, as well as international maritime law and standards. It also works to circumvent our sanctions and soften their impact,’ their 16 December statement said.
The initiative aims to ‘expose malign maritime activity and confront the risks it poses, consistent with our respective legal systems and international law.’ In a warning to vessels and firms involved in the shadow fleet, the allies said ‘we are determined to hold them to account – including through sanctions-related action – for the risks they pose and the support they are providing to Russia’s war against Ukraine.’
Moscow’s shadow fleet of mostly aging tankers, often operating under flags of convenience and employing complex ownership structures, have been transporting Russian oil without adhering to the price cap or carrying insurance. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal warned those vessels could be intercepted and boarded.
‘If the ships do not cooperate, next steps will be taken. They will be put on a list of prohibitions, or they will be boarded in certain areas if they do not respond,’ he said. ‘The main thing is to do this systematically, to disrupt Russia’s shadow fleet,’ he told reporters in Talinn.
Meanwhile, the UK imposed sanctions on 20 shadow fleet tankers and the European Union formally announced its 15th package of sanctions against Russia this week, adding 52 vessels to the EU’s port ban list for circumventing oil price caps or transporting military equipment and ‘stolen Ukrainian grain.’
