Russian shadow fleet's fake certificates breach NATO waters
Russian tankers from the so-called shadow fleet used false certificates to navigate through NATO waters in the Baltic Sea. The Danish media group Danwatch and the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK investigated and discovered this.
Fake safety certificates
At least 76 tankers from the Russian "shadow fleet" managed to traverse NATO waters in the Baltic Sea with the help of fake safety certificates.
Danwatch and NRK's investigation uncovered that these documents were issued by a company named Ro Marine, which falsely presented itself as a Norwegian entity, while it was owned by a Russian individual.
The company Ro Marine was found not to have conducted any financial operations. Only one person was listed in its structure—a board member holding Bulgarian citizenship. The company is owned by 41-year-old Andrei Mochalina, who has experience in the Norwegian insurance sector but currently resides in St. Petersburg.
Forged licences and addresses
The insurance certificates were based on a supposed licence from the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) from 2016, which turned out to be fabricated. In reality, Ro Marine did not exist at that time.
The company also falsely claimed that its offices were located in the Norwegian Shipowners' Association building in Oslo. Despite repeated attempts by the association to contact Ro Marine to rectify the misinformation, their efforts were unsuccessful.
In March, the Norwegian police commenced an investigation into possible sanctions evasion. Charges were filed against Mochalina, the Bulgarian board member, and two Norwegian businessmen linked with Ro Marine. It remains unclear whether any detentions were made.
Scale of fraud
Journalists found that Ro Marine issued fake certificates for at least 255 ships. The company added a new tanker to its register even after the scam was uncovered. At least eight oil tankers displayed Ro Marine certificates during inspections in the Gulf of Finland, yet forgery was not suspected.
The Baltic Sea is responsible for between one-third and half of Russian oil exports.
