Rising tide of Russian shadow fleet raises ecological alarms

Worn-out, ageing, and underinsured tankers used by Russia transported 380,000 cubic metres of oil daily in June 2023. At the same time, in June 2024, this number rose to 650,000 cubic metres, according to KSE analyses.

The United States, Canada, Japan, and European allies are increasingly sanctioning insurers and ship owners to limit Moscow's ability to finance the war in Ukraine, reminds the British newspaper.

Sanctions have also targeted companies and individual ships linked to the Russian shadow fleet. According to Benjamin Hilgenstock, co-author of the KSE report, the sanctions have not been implemented widely enough against these entities. "Sanctions on the tankers (...) should be applied 'systematically' to enforce the requirement for proper oil spill insurance," he emphasised.

Ships belonging to this fleet often operate in crowded European waters, such as the Baltic Sea, Danish Straits, and the Strait of Gibraltar, which increases the risk of ecological disasters for the EU and neighbouring countries.

The KSE report calls for the creation of "shadow-free zones" in European waters to minimise this risk. If such zones are not established, the risk of a "serious environmental disaster" is only a matter of time.

With the advanced age of tankers, averaging 18 years, combined with a lack of adequate insurance, their environmental threat is enormous. Additionally, the actual owners of these ships often remain anonymous due to numerous intermediaries, potentially costing European countries billions in cleanup efforts.

An example is the incident from March, when the 15-year-old tanker Andromeda Star collided with another ship near Denmark. Fortunately, there was no spill as the tanker was on its return voyage, having already unloaded in Russia.