Russian tankers began to change routes in the Baltic Sea: reasons

Oil tankers bound for Russia in the Baltic Sea have begun to avoid Swedish waters after Sweden tightened controls, leading to a change in routes and some vessels taking longer routes.

This is reported by Bloomberg .

According to ship tracking data, of the 22 tankers that have been on the route since April 7, 13 have chosen a southern route from the Danish island of Bornholm instead of the traditional northern route near Sweden.

It is noted that such a change indicates attempts by vessels to avoid document checks that the Swedish side has begun to carry out.

“This marks a clear change of route,” the article notes.

Journalists report that increased monitoring of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” is forcing ships to choose alternative routes that may be longer and require more fuel.

Such tankers, according to the material, often have irregular insurance, opaque flags, and technical problems, and are used to transport Russian oil under sanctions.

“Russia turned to this fleet after sanctions forced many major tankers to abandon the country’s cargoes,” the material says.

It is separately noted that similar behavior of vessels has been recorded before. In particular, in late March, tankers avoided passing through the English Channel after threats from the United Kingdom regarding possible arrest.

The changes in the Baltic Sea came after the Swedish Coast Guard took action in March, when the vessels Sea Owl 1 and Caffa were detained on suspicion of flying foreign flags, and the Flora 1 was inspected for a possible oil leak.

“This allegation was not proven, and the vessel was released,” the article says.

By the way, Swedish law enforcement officers detained the Russian vessel Hui Yuan after suspicion of dumping waste into the Baltic Sea . The incident occurred during a coast guard aircraft patrolling the water area.

It was previously reported that the “shadow fleet” tanker Boracay, suspected of involvement in the launch of drones over Denmark, continued its movement towards the Suez Canal.

Recall that the tanker ALTURA was attacked in the Black Sea , which, according to the Turkish side, belongs to the so-called “shadow fleet” of Russia and was transporting oil.

The day before, US military forces conducted a naval operation to intercept the Veronica III vessel in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.

Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , X , Telegram , and Instagram.