In the Baltic and North Sea, fears are growing about the effects of the shadow fleet linked to the transport of Russian crude oil
Finland continues to detain a shadow oil tanker it accuses of damaging undersea cables on December 25,
Latvia submitted a request to Norway to detain another vessel it suspects was involved in a sabotage incident
Sweden also released a cargo ship it had detained but found to have accidentally damaged undersea cables
The Danish Maritime Authority has announced that it will begin taking measures to strengthen supervision and monitoring of oil tankers mooring in its territorial waters, as part of an effort to ensure compliance with rules for safety at sea, environmental protection and the protection of seafarers.
Shadow oil tankers crossing
Denmark has long been concerned about the potential impact of often uninsured shadow oil tankers crossing its waters while carrying Russian oil. Although there was no disastrous accident, in March 2024, the shadow oil tanker Andromeda Star (115,600 dwt registered in Panama) was involved in a small casualty off Denmark. According to reports released at the time, the ship had submitted false documents to the authorities
Authorize broader inspection regimes
In the past, officials have expressed concern about many oil tankers’ refusal to use pilots while transiting waterways. In recent months, Denmark has hoped that the European Union will authorize broader inspection regimes, while other countries such as the United Kingdom often found documentary and especially insurance deficiencies in inspections of ships transiting their waterways.
Introduce its own system of checks
Two months ago, Denmark agreed with other European countries to introduce its own system of checks on the insurance and documentation of ships transiting its waterways. The Copenhagen authorities explained that the attention paid to oil tankers is the result of the methodology envisaged by the Port State Control agreements and because these ships have a particularly high risk profile linked to the environmental impacts of any accidents. Hence the priority over other types of ships in the selection criteria of units subject to inspections.
A series of recent incidents
The new policy follows a series of recent incidents in the Baltic and North Sea which have further raised concerns. Finland continues to detain a shadow oil tanker it accuses of damaging undersea cables on December 25, and last week Latvia submitted a request to Norway to detain another vessel it suspects was involved in a sabotage incident. Norway released the vessel after an investigation, while earlier this week Sweden also released a cargo ship it had detained but found to have accidentally damaged undersea cables
NATO and Baltic countries including Sweden, Norway, Finland and Estonia have announced plans to increase patrols near critical underwater infrastructure. The UK, in collaboration with the Baltics, has also launched a new tracking program to identify suspicious actions by vessels in the North Sea.
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