Russian tankers reject Danish pilots, increasing oil spill risks, Bloomberg reports

Tankers of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet" transporting oil through Denmark's unsafe shipping straits are more frequently refusing to use pilots' service, increasing the risk of an oil spill off the Danish coast, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 10.

The Russian "shadow fleet" includes aging and largely uninsured oil tankers that Russia uses to transport oil above the $60 per barrel price cap that the EU, the U.S., and the Group of Seven (G7) countries imposed in December 2022 as part of the effort to cut Moscow's fossil fuels revenue.

The older vessels, which are also poorly maintained and have undeclared owners and questionable insurance, make up the majority of Russian oil transportation due to Western sanctions. Such vessels mostly refuse to use pilots' service, according to Bloomberg.

From May to July, 20% of the "shadow fleet" tankers transporting Russian oil through the Danish straits refused to use experts who know the local waters, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and Danwatch. That proportion has increased from 4% a year earlier.

The straits that maritime traffic crosses daily can be difficult to navigate, with many shoals, strong currents, and varying depths, which is why the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recommends the use of pilots.

Bloomberg said that the involvement of local experts has helped to avoid major oil spills throughout this time.

According to the media outlet, since the beginning of 2023, nearly 1,200 tankers carrying Russian oil have left the Baltic Sea, and the share of "shadow fleet" vessels in this flow has been steadily increasing. From May until the end of July, six out of 10 shipments were carried out by "shadow fleet" tankers, up from four out of 10 in the first quarter of 2023.

One in five of these vessels refused the services of Danish pilots between May and July. A year earlier, only one out of twenty vessels refused, according to data obtained at the request of Danwatch.

If Copenhagen tries to make pilotage mandatory, it could aggravate relations with the Kremlin and disrupt an important source of global oil supply, Bloomberg said.

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