Finland tackles Russian shadow fleet amidst maritime tensions
Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen announced that Finland and the EU are seeking legal ways to restrict the activities of the Russian shadow fleet circumventing sanctions. Maritime law experts have several proposals.
Regardless of whether the recent damage to the undersea cables by the tanker Eagle S was intentional or accidental, decisive steps should have been taken, stated Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on the Yle television program.
The Minister referred to the coast guard, police, and armed forces units intercepting the tanker Eagle S at sea and directing it toward the Finnish coast. The ship, sailing under the Cook Islands flag, was on a December 25 voyage from St. Petersburg to Egypt with a load of Russian gasoline. Investigators suspect that dragging an anchor along the seabed for approximately 100 kilometres damaged the Estonian-Finnish EstLink 2 power cable and several telecommunications cables.
"It was heard"
The way Finnish services reacted "was heard," assured Valtonen.
Experts suggest that the shadow fleet's activities could be blocked by redefining the maritime boundary between Estonia and Finland to eliminate the international waters zone. There is also consideration of closing the Baltic Sea to ships under specific flags or in poor technical condition.
It is also emphasized that these solutions are controversial and difficult to implement both politically and legally, similarly to potential changes in international maritime law agreements.
