The vessel that damaged the power cable connecting Finland to Estonia belongs to a company registered in Dubai. As it turned out, Dubai companies own more than 50 vessels of the Russian "shadow fleet". This is reported by the editorial board of the Finnish national broadcaster Yle, UNN reports.
Details
According to a Yle investigation, the Eagle S, suspected of damaging the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia, is owned by a Dubai-based firm.
It is noted that Yle's editorial board checked another 149 vessels associated with the Russian "shadow fleet".
Companies registered in Dubai have as many as 55 ships of the Russian shadow fleet on the embargo list
About a third of the vessels changed their names within a month after the sanctions were imposed or later. A significant number also changed owners or management companies. But this, as Yle notes, is a normal practice.
About a third of the ships included in the study changed their name during the month corresponding to or after the sanctions decision. Almost the same number of ships changed the owner and the management company responsible for the day-to-day operation of the vessel. More than a fifth of ships changed their flag country
According to the editors, in addition to Dubai, there are many companies-owners in India, China, Russia and small island states, where real ownership relationships are easy to conceal.
"The constant changes make it difficult to find out the real owners and operators of the vessels," Yle summarizes.
Recall
Russia uses more than 1000 vessels to circumvent sanctions, which is 17% of the world's oil tanker fleet. The shadow fleet has brought Russia more profit than Ukraine has received in international aid since the beginning of the war.