United Kingdom has begun talks with its European allies regarding the potential seizure of oil tankers linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet.”

 Denmark's maritime authority said on  it had detained and inspected an Iran-flagged container vessel anchored in the Nordic country's waters on the grounds that it was not properly registered.It also mentioned that a port state inspection would be conducted before the ship could be released. The Ship using the name "Nora" according to LSEG data, was initially sailing under a Comoros flag, but Comoros informed Denmark that the vessel was not found in its registry, the Danish authority told Reuters 

The inspection had been completed and no major safety issues

Meanwhile the authority later confirmed that the inspection had been completed and no major safety issues were found SEG data shows the "Nora" is now under the Iranian flag.. The vessel, known as “Nora” according to LSEG data, was originally sailing under the Comoros flag. However, Comoros informed Denmark that the ship did not appear in its registry, the Danish authority explained in an email to Reuters on February 19. According to Danish broadcaster TV2, which first reported the news, the vessel changed its flag from Comoros to Iran on Wednesday. Reuters was not able to independently verify when the change happened.

IMO number as a vessel formerly named CERUS,

The "Nora" shares the same International Maritime Organization number as a vessel formerly named CERUS, a container ship on the U.S. Treasury's sanctions list, according to LSEG data.

IMO numbers are permanent vessel identifiers that remain unchanged, irrespective of name changes or flag switches. It is noteworthy that IMO numbers are permanent vessel identifiers that remain unchanged, irrespective of name changes or flag switches. The vessel has been lying idle for the past 25 days, according to TV2.

Oil tankers linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet.

On the other hand at the same time, the United Kingdom has begun talks with its European allies regarding the potential seizure of oil tankers linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet.” This is part of broader efforts to tighten pressure on Moscow’s war economy. As reported by Bloomberg, UK Defense Secretary John Healey met with officials from Baltic and Nordic countries to explore legal and operational options for detaining vessels suspected of bypassing sanctions.

The UK-led initiative

The proposed measures could be based on previous US operations targeting oil tankers transporting goods to and from Venezuela, some of which were reported to have connections to Russia. It is still unclear to what extent the United States would formally participate in the UK-led initiative. However, one source told Bloomberg that some level of coordination is likely. The report also mentioned that previous intercepts of vessels linked to Russia have caused concerns in Moscow, with Russian officials privately urging Washington to stop such actions.

Earlier, it was reported that Russia is preparing to send oil and petroleum products to Cuba under the guise of "humanitarian aid," despite warnings from US President Donald Trump to impose additional tariffs on nations that supply fuel to the island.

Source : Agencies 

#US President Trump # Denmark's maritime authority # Nora Vessel #John Healey #Iranian-flagged container ship #Danish authority