Europe mulls large-scale seizures of Russia's 'shadow fleet' ships, Politico reports

European countries are privately discussing large-scale seizures of Russian oil tankers in the Baltic Sea after a number of incidents, Politico reported on Feb. 10, citing two unnamed EU diplomats and two government officials.

The media outlet referred to a late December incident in which an undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia was damaged, likely by a tanker believed to be part of Moscow's "shadow fleet," a group of aging tankers routinely used for sanction evasion.

The Eagle S vessel, carrying Russian oil, was detained in Finnish territorial waters in connection to the incident. Helsinki launched an investigation to determine whether the damage was accidental or deliberate sabotage.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that "NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea" following the incident in the Gulf of Finland.

According to Politico, European countries are also drafting new legislation that would enable potential seizures of Russian oil tankers on legal grounds.

Among the proposals under consideration is the use of international law to seize vessels on environmental or piracy grounds. Individual countries could also make independent decisions, jointly introducing new national laws to arrest ships in more distant maritime zones, the news outlet wrote.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that nearly 50% of the sanctioned trade in Russian marine oil goes via the Gulf of Finland.

The Nordic countries have been on high alert due to mounting security threats from Russia. European intelligence services warned in 2023 that Russia could be preparing to sabotage power cables, wind turbines, and gas pipes in the Nordic countries.

The European Union, the U.K., and the U.S. have slapped sanctions on oil-carrying vessels of Russia's so-called shadow fleet.

In early February, Ukraine imposed sanctions on Russian "shadow fleet" captains, targeting Russian citizens and one Iranian national engaged in illicit oil exports through ship-to-ship transfers and other methods to bypass price caps.

Europe’s inaction on undersea infrastructure is a security time bomb

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The Kyiv IndependentArvydas Anušauskas