Denmark leads efforts to curb Russian shadow fleet's operations

The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on Monday that Denmark has taken the initiative to limit the constantly growing Russian shadow fleet. Tankers flying flags of other countries help circumvent sanctions imposed on Russian oil exports.

As Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen emphasized, Denmark has gathered a group of countries on this issue, including those located on the Baltic Sea. "It is important that all new proposals can be implemented in practice and are legally balanced," Rasmussen stated.

The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to provide details.

Russia's shadow fleet often consists of worn-out tankers registered in exotic countries, lacking proper documentation or insurance. The ships operate in the Baltic Sea, using the Danish straits. The media had earlier reported minor malfunctions and collisions of these vessels off the coast of Denmark.

The Danish newspaper "Information" wrote on Monday, citing experts, that it is not excluded that a ship flying a non-Russian flag might deliberately dump oil into the Baltic to cause an environmental catastrophe. "A hybrid attack using tankers will occur if Putin deems it beneficial for Russia," assessed Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen from the Nordic Defence Analysis organization.

Swedish public television SVT aired a series of reports in April addressing the problem of the "floating gas station," a tanker named Zircone, anchored east of Gotland and registered in Cyprus. The unit supplies fuel (bunker) to the Russian shadow fleet.

According to SVT, the tanker's owner, Fast Bunkering, belongs to Latvian citizens: Aleksejs Tjulets and Sergejs Pasters. The men also hold Russian and Maltese citizenship, respectively. According to SVT, Swedish authorities have made advanced preparations over the past year due to technical problems with at least one tanker near Gotland.