Shadow Fleet’s Environmental Risks Threaten Irish West Coast
On the afternoon of October 24th, while sailing 350 kms off the Irish west coast, the oil tanker Myra found itself facing the hurricane-force winds of Storm Boelo. Nine-metre-high waves washed over the sides of the 228-metre vessel while gusts of up 130km per hour battered the bridge. At 12:38pm, someone on board sent an SOS.
In response, an RAF Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft departed its base in Scotland a short time later and set a course for the Myra. But when the aircraft crew made radio contact with the ship, they were informed it was a false alarm. The ship continued south, through choppy seas and high winds.
Environmental Risks of Decaying Russian Oil Tankers
The Myra had departed from Russia a week earlier. It is regularly used to transport Russian oil, prompting the EU to sanction it last year. The vessel is linked to a shipping company owned by the son of a senior figure in the Iranian regime. While it claims to be flag-registered in Cameroon, International Maritime Organisation records say this is false. This makes the Myra part of the so-called “shadow fleet”, a collection of hundreds of vessels, often registered under false flags, used to evade international sanctions regimes.
It is one of an increasing number of shadow fleet oil tankers travelling through Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the 450,000sq km of sea off the west coast where Ireland maintains certain sovereign rights. In recent years, security officials have repeatedly warned of the risks posed by shadow vessels. EU countries have accused them of engaging in espionage and sabotaging undersea infrastructure on behalf of Russia.
Decaying Russian Oil Tankers Pose Grave Environmental Risks
An Irish Times investigation shows the majority of these ships have serious safety issues, with many recently found to have structural defects, fire hazards or substandard pollution-control measures that could lead to an environmental disaster. This includes the Myra. Since 2020, inspectors in Australia, Belgium, Russia and the US have identified 10 serious defects on the 20-year-old ship, including fire safety, structural integrity and watertightness deficiencies.
The Myra was empty when it passed Ireland last month, but around half of the Russian tankers taking the same route are laden with huge amounts of crude oil. According to data provided to The Irish Times by Starboard Maritime Intelligence, a New Zealand-based maritime intelligence platform, 218 shadow fleet vessels have passed through the Irish EEZ since the start of this year, some multiple times.
Shadow Fleet Activity Increases in Irish EEZ
Of these, 208 were under EU sanctions, while the remainder were under sanctions imposed by the US, UK or New Zealand. This is a 193 per cent increase in shadow fleet activity compared to the same period in 2025, according to figures provided by the Defence Forces.
A spokesman for the Defence Forces says the number of shadow fleet vessels increased in Irish EEZ waters after then-UK prime minister Keir Starmer announced British forces would begin boarding shadow fleet vessels crossing the English Channel. “This elicited a change in pattern of life, with [Russian shadow fleet] vessels using the west of Ireland route instead,” he says.
In other words, instead of risking a naval boarding by British forces, Russian shadow fleet vessels began taking a detour through Irish waters to avoid detection. This has raised concerns about the environmental risks posed by these ageing oil tankers, particularly to the vulnerable marine ecosystems on Ireland’s west coast.
Original Article: ‘Exponential environmental risks’: Decaying Russian oil tankers threaten Irish west coast — Irishtimes