Russia's shadow fleet ramps up oil exports, raising eco risks

Russia used aging, underinsured, and often worn-out tankers to transport 2.4 million barrels of oil daily in June 2023. According to KSE analyses, this number rose to 4.1 million barrels in June 2024.

The United States, Canada, Japan, and European allies are increasingly sanctioning insurers and ship owners to limit Moscow's ability to finance the war in Ukraine, the British newspaper reminds.

Sanctions have also targeted companies and individual ships linked to the Russian shadow fleet. According to Benjamin Hilgenstock, co-author of the KSE report, the sanctions have not been implemented widely enough against these entities. "Sanctions on the tankers should be applied 'systematically' to enforce the requirement for proper oil spill insurance," he emphasized.

Ships belonging to this fleet often operate in crowded European waters, such as the Baltic Sea, Danish Straits, and the Strait of Gibraltar, which increases the risk of ecological disasters for the EU and neighboring countries.

To minimize this risk, the KSE report calls for creating "shadow-free zones" in European waters. Without these zones, a "serious environmental disaster" is only a matter of time.

Combining the advanced age of tankers, averaging 18 years, with a lack of adequate insurance, results in an enormous environmental threat. Additionally, the actual owners of these ships often remain anonymous due to numerous intermediaries, potentially costing European countries billions in cleanup efforts.

An example is a March incident in which the 15-year-old tanker Andromeda Star collided with another ship near Denmark. Fortunately, there was no spill, as the tanker was on its return voyage, having already unloaded in Russia.