Estonia cracks down on Russian shadow fleet in Baltic waters
The Estonian police and border guard have checked over 200 tankers from the Russian "shadow fleet." Estonia was the first country to begin verifying these vessels' documents.
In the second half of the year, the Estonian police and border guard conducted over 200 inspections of tankers transporting sanctioned Russian oil. Estonia led the initiative in verifying the documents of vessels from the Russian "shadow fleet," as reported by the ministry of climate.
Inspections in Estonian waters
Inspections of suspicious tankers in the Estonian economic zone waters began in June. Jaak Viilipu, head of the maritime department in the Estonian ministry of climate, stated that these inspections include both "radio calls" and physical checks of the vessels.
"In most cases, the ship captains cooperated with the authorities and provided the required information, with the vessels' documents being fully compliant with regulations," the official communicated in a discussion with ERR radio.
Over the past six months, a total of over 240 inspections have been conducted. In one instance, a ship's commander did not respond to calls and refused to allow officials on board. However, a week later, the commander voluntarily submitted documents confirming the vessel's insurance. "This demonstrates that such inspections are effective, and these kinds of pressure measures should continue," added Viilipu.
Geopolitical threat
In June, during the Baltic Sea States Council meeting in Porvoo, Finland, it was acknowledged that the "shadow fleet" poses a threat to security, the environment, and from a geopolitical standpoint.
The main Russian oil terminals are located in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland, in the St. Petersburg, Primorsk, and Ust-Luga regions. Russian "shadow tankers," not covered by Western insurance, play a key role in circumventing sanctions imposed by the G7, transporting oil to buyers willing to exceed the established maximum price, thereby supporting Russia's war machine in Ukraine.
The Estonian ministry of climate noted that in previous years, almost all maritime transport through the Baltic was covered by Western insurance. Currently, policies from third countries such as China, India, or former Soviet republics like Kyrgyzstan are visible.
