The European Union is developing a new legal framework for the detention of Russian tankers in the Baltic Sea that transport oil in violation of established sanctions. It is expected that as part of the 19th sanctions package, an additional 120 vessels from the so-called ‘shadow’ fleet of the Russian Federation will be added to the EU’s ‘blacklist’, bringing the total number of sanctioned tankers to 568 units.
This is reported by Finway
New Measures Against the Russian Federation’s ‘Shadow’ Fleet
Most Russian tankers that have been sanctioned do not use the services of European ports or insurance companies. This significantly complicates the effective enforcement of restrictive measures. To address this issue, the EU plans to utilize Article 110 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which allows for the interception of vessels that do not have a defined national affiliation. Among the 120 new sanctioned tankers, 16 currently have no official flag.
Situation Regarding Tanker Detentions and Expert Reactions
Recently, France released a detained tanker from the Russian ‘shadow’ fleet, which was suspected of being involved in a drone incident near Denmark. After its release, the sanctioned vessel Boracay continued its journey.
Experts described this case as ‘bad’, emphasizing that EU judicial practices create obstacles to stopping tankers sailing under false or non-existent flags and transporting oil for the Russian Federation.
As a result, the number of tankers with false or unknown flags in the Baltic Sea has significantly increased, complicating the monitoring of compliance with sanctions.