UK, EU consider seizing Russian shadow fleet vessels – Bloomberg
The United Kingdom, Nordic and Baltic nations are considering a plan to seize tankers linked to Russia's shadow fleet.
That is according to Bloomberg, citing its own sources, Ukrinform reports.
According to the article, British Defense Secretary John Healey met with counterparts from Baltic and Nordic nations to discuss seizing oil tankers linked to Russia's shadow fleet.
The meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a group of ten nations with a shared commitment to the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea, took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, according to one of the participants and people familiar with the matter.
Healey was joined at the meeting by the head of Britain’s military, Richard Knighton, who presented options including joint seizure operations, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations.
"The atmosphere and the understanding was that we need to be more proactive," Estonia's Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said in an interview after joining the gathering. "The message is that the countries who give flags to the shadow fleet vessels need to know that there are measures that can be taken by other countries."
For his part, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said in a separate interview that some members remain cautious given a "fear of escalation."
With such a move, the Joint Expeditionary Force would build on U.S. interdiction of tankers moving to and from Venezuela – sometimes with the help of allies – in the wake of President Nicolas Maduro’s capture. Several of those vessels have had ties to Russia.
It's unclear to what extent the U.S. would be involved in the UK-led effort but there would likely be some coordination, according to one of the people familiar with the matter. The interdictions of the Russia-linked vessels have prompted concern in Moscow, with Russian officials privately demanding that the U.S. stop, the person said.
The shadow fleet is a group of about 1,500 tankers that use false flags to appear legitimate without having to comply with regulations. More than 600 tankers have been sanctioned by some combination of the EU, the UK and the U.S. for their links to Russia.
On January 7, the UK helped the U.S. seize the oil tanker Marinera, which was sailing under a Russian flag, following a days-long chase after it left the Caribbean Sea. France’s navy boarded an oil tanker coming from Russia into the Mediterranean Sea on January 22.
Photo: AI-generated