The UK is ready to seize Russian-linked tankers from the shadow fleet. In particular, the British Ministry of Defence has considered military options for such a seizure in discussions with NATO allies.
This is reported by The Guardian, citing sources.
Last month, the Royal Marines held a special briefing for British MPs on the threat posed by Russia, particularly in the Arctic and northern regions. One person at the meeting said the Marines were “eagerly awaiting the order to seize the vessel.”
“The Royal Navy could challenge any number of ships under maritime law because they are effectively 'stateless'. But they have not done so because there are risks of escalation,” said Richard Mead, editor-in-chief of Lloyd's List, a shipping specialist.
According to Lloyd's List Intelligence, 23 shadow fleet vessels were spotted in the English Channel and Baltic Sea in January, using false or fraudulent flags. Most of them are involved in transporting Russian oil to China, India and Turkey, the publication notes.
A month ago, the US and the UK pursued the tanker Marinera from the Caribbean Sea to the North Atlantic and detained it between Scotland and Iceland. Despite the Kremlin's subdued response, The Guardian notes that a similar operation led by Britain or other European countries “would potentially be riskier.”
“Because Moscow would likely react more decisively. The risks could be reduced if the seizure took place far from the waters of the Baltic Sea or the Arctic,” Mead added.
In late January, British Defense Secretary John Healy announced a meeting of the Baltic and Nordic countries to discuss “military options that we could use.” He suggested that the confiscated oil could be sold and the proceeds sent to Ukraine to “fight Putin’s invasion.”
As the publication notes, the evasion of rules that makes the idea of a “shadow fleet” attractive to Moscow also makes it vulnerable. Usually, a ship obeys the country of its flag, but if it is a fake one or several, it is effectively stateless. Theoretically, this gives the right to confiscate it, although the exact legal interpretation in European countries differs.
“It is not known how much the seizure of one or two shadow fleet ships will harm Moscow's economy… Data on oil exports do not indicate a significant drop, with Russian exports standing at over 5 million barrels of oil per day, although these figures have decreased from the autumn peak of 6 million barrels per day,” the publication notes.
More than 200 shadow fleet vessels are currently linked to Russia, continuing to operate despite the expansion of the Russian fleet under its own flag. These vessels account for 51% of all traffic, and the established limit on oil prices “has proven easy to ignore,” the publication adds.