UK threatens to seize Russian tanker as Moscow’s shadow fleet becomes Europe’s headache – Firstpost

The United Kingdom is threatening to seize a Russia-linked shadow fleet of tanks amid brewing tensions between Moscow and the European nations. On Saturday, the British defence sources confirmed that military options to capture the rogue ship have been identified and are currently being discussed with the Nato allies.

This comes a month after the US-led seizure of a Russian tanker in the Atlantic. On January 23, shadow fleet ships using false or fraudulent flags were spotted in the Channel or Baltic Sea, according to the UK’s Lloyd’s List Intelligence. Many linked the vessel to the export of Russian oil to countries like China, India and Turkey.

A joint statement signed by the UK, Germany, France and other Nato countries bordering the Baltic and North seas late last month said all vessels sailing through either region should “strictly comply with applicable international law”. But despite setting conditions for a seizure, nothing has followed.

“The Royal Navy could challenge any number of ships under maritime law because they are in fact stateless,” said Richard Meade, the editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List, a specialist shipping title. “But they haven’t, because there are escalatory risks.”

The hanging issue

Last month, the Royal Marines held a briefing for British MPs and peers, covering the threat from Russia and the situation in the Arctic and the high north. One of those present said the Marines were “champing at the bit” to be given the order to seize a ship.

The news of Russian ships being seized is coming at a time when Moscow’s revenue from oil is seeing a decline. Right at the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, a price cap was set on Russian seaborne crude exports, which led Moscow to respond by spending an estimated $15bn on buying 400 ageing tankers, often more than 20 years old, to create its own “shadow fleet”.

“It’s a collection of old, poorly maintained ships that are opaquely owned, often underinsured and flying flags from jurisdictions either with weak controls or enforcement efforts, increasingly taking up false flags,” Gonzalo Saiz Erausquin, from the Royal United Services Institute, a UK thinktank, told The Guardian.

Interestingly, the idea to put the cap was taken from Iran and Venezuela, already subject to sanctions, but the Russian shadow fleet is, Kennedy says, essentially separate. Since the end of November last year, seven shadow fleet tankers have been struck by drones, with Ukraine claiming responsibility for four, including the Qendil, attacked in the Mediterranean.

There are also signs that Moscow is reacting to Western threats by re-registering shadow fleet tankers under the Russian flag to prevent seizure. The Marinera was one of 10 shadow fleet vessels in the Caribbean that had reflagged to Russia in December and January, part of a failed effort to break the US oil blockade of Venezuela. Overall, the Russian shadow fleet continues to pester Europe.