Denmark strengthens control over tankers amid threats from Russia's “shadow fleet”

Denmark will tighten security measures for tankers that it believes may pose a danger to the environment, navigation and seafarers in response to "the activity of old oil-carrying vessels." This is stated in a statement by the Kingdom's Maritime Authority on February 5, UNN reports with reference to DW.

Details

The agency noted that it made this decision in response to "the activity of old ships transporting oil through the Danish Straits.

"Port country controls are focused on tankers, as an accident involving damage to or a shipwreck of a tanker can have particularly far-reaching safety, health and environmental consequences," the report says.

Addendum

Russia's "shadow fleet," estimated by the Kyiv School of Economics at more than 650 vessels, came into focus in 2024 not only because of the illegal transportation of Russian oil but also because of incidents involving damage to infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

In particular, one of the "shadow fleet" vessels was suspected of deliberately damaging the Estlink-2 submarine communication cable in the Gulf of Finland at the end of 2024. Therefore, the European military, intelligence services, and politicians consider the Russian "shadow fleet" to be a significant security threat.

In addition, the results of an investigation by an international journalistic consortium, reported on Tuesday, February 4, by German TV channels NDR and WDR, showed that the "shadow fleet" includes 230 tankers that previously belonged to companies from the United States and Europe. All of these vessels were sold to Moscow after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

Russia's “shadow” fleet includes 230 tankers from the US and EU - media04.02.25, 18:48 • 27909 views