Swedish Coast Guard Boards Sanctioned Tanker Suspected of Causing Baltic Oil Spill
The Swedish Coast Guard announced Friday that it has boarded a tanker suspected of causing a 12-kilometer oil spill on the Baltic Sea. The vessel, identified as the Flora 1, is under European Union sanctions aimed at the “shadow fleet” transporting Russian oil.
According to the Coast Guard, the spill was detected early Thursday east of Gotland island, and investigators quickly identified the Flora 1 as the suspected source. The Coast Guard boarded the vessel early Friday and took it and its 24-member crew to anchorage near Ysted in southern Sweden.
“We act when we detect emissions,” said Daniel Stenling, deputy chief of operations. “This is a result of our enhanced maritime surveillance that we are conducting as a result of the deteriorating security situation in the Baltic Sea region.” There were no immediate details on what caused the spill.
EU Sanctions and Shadow Fleet
The Flora 1 was sanctioned by the EU for carrying Russian oil while practicing irregular and high-risk shipping practices. The vessel’s departure from the Russian port of Primorsk, where a major Russian oil export terminal is located, on Tuesday, according to MarineTraffic maritime data company, suggests it may have been involved in circumventing international sanctions.
The shadow fleet emerged in response to a price cap on Russian oil imposed by the Group of Seven democracies to limit the revenues that fund Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The cap was enforced by barring insurance and shipping companies from handling oil above the cap. The fleet is made up of aging tankers with ownership and insurance based in countries that are not observing the price cap.
Safety Concerns and Cleanup Efforts
The age of the vessels and their lack of Western insurance has raised safety concerns about oil spills and who would get the cleanup bill. Up to 18 cubic meters, or 113 barrels of oil, was released, according to Sweden’s Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin.
While there is no imminent risk of the oil reaching land, the Coast Guard can take measures for oil cleanup if necessary. The Ukrainian government has also weighed in on the incident, stating that the vessel is owned by a Hong Kong company and has been affiliated with an Indian company that is “one of the leading operators of the so-called ‘shadow’ fleet involved in the transportation of Russian crude oil.”
Original Article: Sweden stops sanctioned tanker suspected of causing Baltic oil spill after leaving Russian port — Yahoo