4 days ago
German checks aim to increase pressure on Russian shadow fleet
German authorities are increasingly focusing on tankers in the Baltic Sea with insufficient insurance, which partly serve to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Since Tuesday, tanker crews have been asked about their insurance coverage against oil pollution damage, according to the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Foreign Office.
Affected are ships travelling eastwards from Fehmarn. At the same time as Germany, Sweden is also carrying out checks.
"The more complete the picture, the sooner we can take measures up to and including sanctioning the ships together with our partner countries in the Baltic Sea region," German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder explained regarding the approach.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul added, "We are increasing the pressure on the Russian shadow fleet and protecting the Baltic Sea habitat."
According to the joint statement, the collected documents will be examined. Any irregularities could lead to Europe-wide monitoring, measures by the flag state, and possibly inclusion on the list of sanctioned ships.
The insurance coverage of these ships is often unknown, as they avoid reputable insurers and European ports, according to the information provided.
The measure is part of European efforts to push back the Russian shadow fleet and improve maritime safety and marine environmental protection.
Oil tankers belonging to the shadow fleet are partly old and sometimes employ unsafe shipping practices. They have been suspected, for example, of damaging undersea cables with their anchors.
