Several EU countries plan to confiscate supposed ‘Russian shadow fleet’ ships

(MENAFN) Several EU nations are considering stronger legal measures to seize ships in the Baltic Sea, aiming to disrupt Russian trade, according to Politico. Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia are reportedly looking to target vessels under environmental and piracy claims. Western countries have long accused Russia of using a “shadow fleet” to bypass sanctions. Recently, these nations have also alleged Russian involvement in sabotaging undersea cables in the Baltic, though there is no evidence to support this.

The four Baltic states are seeking EU support to seize suspected shadow fleet ships, arguing that they pose a threat to both the environment and infrastructure. This could include changes to national laws to make it easier to capture ships farther out at sea, potentially requiring a list of insurers for maritime activities in the region. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna mentioned that there are numerous opportunities for enforcing trade restrictions against Russia.

Last December, Finland seized the tanker Eagle S during an investigation into damage to the Estlink 2 power cable. Although no wrongdoing was found, the vessel remains impounded. On the other hand, a Norwegian cargo ship with an all-Russian crew was released in late January after Norwegian police determined there were no grounds for its detention, despite Latvia requesting its seizure over an incident involving an optic cable.

Russia has criticized Western nations for spreading false claims of Russian sabotage, pointing to the lack of evidence in European investigations, including the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022. Moscow views Western sanctions as an unfair tool of pressure, with President Putin expressing confidence in Russia’s strength to withstand such measures.

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