G7 launches Shadow Fleet Task Force despite initial US resistance
G7 Foreign Ministers have announced the creation of a Shadow Fleet Task Force to combat sanctions evasion by Russia and North Korea, despite earlier US opposition to the Canadian-proposed initiative, according to a joint declaration issued on 14 March.
‘We invite members of the Nordic-Baltic 8 (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden), and possibly others, to join participating G7 members in a Shadow Fleet Task Force,’ the ministers stated in their joint declaration on Maritime Security and Prosperity, published by the US State Department.
The task force aims to ‘enhance monitoring and detection and to otherwise constrain the use of shadow fleets engaged in illegal, unsafe or environmentally perilous activities,’ according to the statement.
The initiative represents an apparent reversal of the US position after reports that American diplomats had rejected Canada’s original proposal just days earlier. According to an 8 March Guardian report, the US had initially vetoed the task force and pushed to remove references to sanctions and Russia’s war in Ukraine from draft language. US diplomats had reportedly told G7 counterparts that Washington was ‘unable to join any new initiatives’ due to a ‘re-evaluation of its position in multilateral organisations,’ according to media reports.
The final declaration specifically targets Russia’s efforts to evade the oil price cap, noting that ‘Russia’s ability to earn revenue has been sustained through its extensive effort to circumvent the G?+ oil price cap policy through its shadow fleet of often older, underinsured, and poorly maintained ships.’
The ‘shadow fleet’ consists of aging oil tankers with obscured identities used to help Russia circumvent Western economic sanctions imposed since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
While the task force was ultimately included, the declaration appears to reflect some US-proposed language changes, referring to Russia’s ability to ‘earn revenue’ rather than ‘maintain its war’ in Ukraine, as was reportedly in earlier drafts.
The G7 statement also addressed maritime security concerns related to China, condemning its ‘illicit, provocative, coercive and dangerous actions that seek unilaterally to alter the status quo’ in disputed waters.
The Shadow Fleet Task Force will respond to the International Maritime Organization’s December 2023 call for action against vessels circumventing sanctions and evading compliance with safety regulations.
European countries have separately been discussing ans to potentially seize Russian oil-exporting tankers in the Baltic Sea, using international law provisions related to environmental protection or anti-piracy measures, according to the Guardian report.
https://www.state.gov/g7-foreign-ministers-declaration-on-maritime-security-and-prosperity/
