UK and allies plan joint operations against Russia’s shadow fleet

British Defense Secretary John Healy has met with Baltic and Nordic counterparts to discuss seizing tankers linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, a move aimed at cutting off the revenue that funds the war in Ukraine.

This is reported by Bloomberg .

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference as part of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a group of 10 countries with shared commitments in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. The main topic was increasing pressure on revenues used to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“The atmosphere and understanding was that we need to act more proactively. Countries that flag shadow fleet vessels need to know that other countries can take action,” said Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.

He added that further discussions are needed before decisions are made, as some participants remain cautious due to “fear of escalation.”

Healy was accompanied at the meeting by the head of British forces, Richard Knighton, who presented options for joint operations to seize tankers. The discussion was about continuing the US practice of intercepting ships moving to and from Venezuela, where some tankers have ties to Russia.

The shadow fleet includes around 1,500 tankers that use false flags to appear legitimate and evade regulatory requirements. More than 600 of these vessels have already been sanctioned by the EU, UK and US.

Journalists recalled that last month, 14 European countries warned that tankers in the Baltic and North Seas must sail under the flag of a single state to prevent the use of false flags. On January 7, the UK helped the US seize the Russian-flagged tanker Marinera after a pursuit from the Caribbean, and on January 22, the French fleet detained a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean.

Analysts note that more coordinated European actions will significantly complicate the shadow fleet’s access to routes to Asia and increase the effectiveness of sanctions.

As a reminder, a sanctioned oil tanker belonging to the Russian shadow fleet, which was transporting Russian oil, is drifting in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Algeria .

As reported, French naval forces, supported by intelligence provided by the United Kingdom, intercepted a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Mediterranean Sea.

In addition, the US military took control of the oil tanker Sagitta in the waters of the Caribbean Sea, which is linked to the so-called “shadow fleet” of Russia.

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