UK Threatens Seizure of Russian Shadow Fleet Tankers
The United Kingdom is threatening to seize tankers linked to Russia’s shadow fleet as part of an escalation that could open a new front against Moscow at a time when the country’s oil revenues are falling sharply. According to British defence sources, military options for seizing vessels in violation were identified during discussions involving NATO allies.
Details from Lloyd’s List Intelligence show that 23 shadow fleet vessels using false or fraudulent flags were detected in the English Channel and the Baltic Sea in January. Many of these vessels are linked to exports of Russian oil, primarily transported by water to China, India, and Türkiye.
International Law and Escalation
A joint statement published in late January and signed by the UK, Germany, France, and other NATO countries bordering the Baltic and North seas stated that all vessels passing through any of these regions must “strictly comply with applicable international law”. However, despite setting conditions for seizure, no action followed. Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of Lloyd’s List, noted that while the Royal Navy could challenge any number of ships under maritime law because they are in fact stateless, they haven’t taken action due to escalatory risks.
US Seizure and British Assistance
Last month, the US pursued the tanker Marinera from the Caribbean to the North Atlantic and, with British assistance, seized it between Scotland and Iceland. Although it initially sailed under a false flag, during the pursuit – which ended with an unsuccessful attempt to evade seizure – it was re-registered as Russian.
Background and Context
On 22 January, before signing the joint statement, France detained the oil tanker Grinch off the coast of Spain. It had sailed from Murmansk in Russia under the flag of the Comoros, a country in East Africa, but a week later French President Emmanuel Macron told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the tanker would have to be released due to French law.
At the end of January, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK would hold a meeting of Baltic and Nordic countries to discuss “military options that we might use”. He said confiscated oil could be sold “and put into Ukraine in order to fight Putin’s invasion”.
It remains unclear how much damage the seizure of one or two shadow fleet vessels would cause to Russia’s economy. Since the end of November, seven shadow fleet tankers have been attacked by drones, and Ukraine claimed responsibility for four of them.
The British threats come at a time when Russia’s economy appears more vulnerable than before, as the military boom fades and economic growth slows. Falling global oil prices, partly caused by increased supply from Venezuela, are harming Russia’s treasury.
Original Article: UK threatens seizure of Russian shadow fleet tankers, The Guardian says — Ukrainska Pravda