Estonia leads crackdown on Russian 'shadow fleet' oil tankers
Estonian police and border guard checked over 200 tankers from the Russian "shadow fleet." Estonia was the first country to initiate verification of these vessels' documents.
The Estonian police and border guard carried out more than 200 inspections of tankers transporting sanctioned Russian oil in the latter half of the year. Estonia was the first nation to verify the documents of vessels from the Russian "shadow fleet," according to the Ministry of Climate.
Inspections in Estonian waters
Inspections of suspicious tankers in the Estonian economic zone waters began in June. Jaak Viilipu, head of the maritime department in the Estonian Ministry of Climate, reported that the inspections include both "radio calls" and physical checks of the vessels.
"In most cases, the ship captains cooperated with the authorities, providing the required information, and the vessels' documents were fully compliant with regulations," the official conveyed in a conversation with ERR radio.
In the past six months, a total of over 240 inspections have been conducted. In one case, the ship's commander did not respond to calls and refused to allow officials on board, but a week later voluntarily submitted documents confirming the vessel's insurance. "This shows that such inspections work, and these kinds of pressure measures should continue to be maintained," added Viilipu.
Geopolitical threat
In June, during the Baltic Sea States Council meeting in Porvoo, Finland, it was recognized that the "shadow fleet" poses a threat to security, the environment, and from a geopolitical standpoint.
Main Russian oil terminals are located in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, in the St. Petersburg, Primorsk, and Ust-Luga regions. Russian "shadow tankers," not covered by Western insurance, play a key role in circumventing sanctions imposed by the G7, transporting oil to buyers willing to pay more than the established maximum price, which supports Russia's war efforts in Ukraine.
The Estonian Ministry of Climate noted that in previous years, almost all maritime transport through the Baltic was covered by Western insurance. Currently, policies from third countries such as China, India, or former Soviet republics like Kyrgyzstan are more common.
