Belgium Seizes Suspected Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker
Belgium seized an oil tanker belonging to Russia‘s so-called shadow fleet on Sunday, Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken announced, in the latest Western effort to choke off Moscow’s oil revenues funding its war in Ukraine.
The ship, identified by Belgian officials as the Ethera, is on the European Union’s sanctions list and was suspected of sailing under a false flag with false documents. It was intercepted in the North Sea and is now being diverted to the Belgian port under armed escort.
Operation Blue Intruder: A Deliberate Strategy
Francken told Reuters the operation was part of a deliberate strategy. “Without his shadow fleet Putin can’t wage war against innocent Ukrainians. So we take these vessels out. One by one. Till his war of aggression stops,” he said. “Belgium takes its responsibility seriously.”
The seizure, carried out with French naval and aerial support, marks Belgium‘s first reported boarding of a shadow-fleet vessel at sea. It underscores the EU’s intensified campaign to enforce sanctions imposed after Russia‘s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Shadow Fleet: A Network of Aging Tankers
The shadow fleet — hundreds of ageing tankers with opaque ownership structures — has allowed Russia to continue exporting crude oil above the Western price cap, generating billions in revenue despite restrictions. Many of the vessels are poorly maintained, raising fears of environmental disasters in busy European waters.
Russia has repeatedly described such seizures as “acts of piracy” and warned that interference with its energy exports would not go unanswered.
Original Article: Belgium seizes suspected Russian shadow fleet tanker — Eualive