Russian tankers exploit NATO waters with fake certificates
Russian tankers from the so-called shadow fleet used false certificates to pass through NATO waters in the Baltic Sea. This is the result of an investigation by the Danish media group Danwatch and the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.
Fake security certificates
At least 76 tankers from the Russian "shadow fleet" could freely transit through NATO waters in the Baltic Sea thanks to fake security certificates.
The investigation by Danwatch and NRK revealed that these documents were issued by the company Ro Marine, which claimed to be Norwegian, although it was owned by a Russian.
It turned out that Ro Marine did not conduct any financial operations, and its structure listed only one person—a board member with Bulgarian citizenship. The owner of the company is 41-year-old Andrey Mochalin, who worked for many years in the Norwegian insurance sector but currently lives in St. Petersburg.
Fake licenses and addresses
The insurance certificates were issued based on an alleged 2016 license from the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA), which also turned out to be fake. In reality, Ro Marine did not exist at that time.
The company also claimed that its offices were located in the building of the Norwegian Shipowners' Association in Oslo, which was not true. The association repeatedly tried to contact Ro Marine, demanding they correct the false information, but without success.
In March, Norwegian police launched an investigation into possible sanctions evasion. Charges were brought against Mochalin, the Bulgarian board member, and two Norwegian businessmen collaborating with Ro Marine. It is unknown if anyone has been detained.
Scale of the fraud
Journalists determined that Ro Marine issued fake certificates for at least 255 vessels. Even after the fraud was exposed, the company added a new tanker to its registry. At least eight oil tankers presented Ro Marine certificates during inspections in the Gulf of Finland, but no one suspected forgery.
The Baltic Sea accounts for between one-third and half of Russian oil exports.
