A group of 14 European nations have issued an open warning to sha
dow-fleet tankers in the Baltic and North Seas, raising the stakes for vessels they say are endangering maritime safety.
Ships can only sail under the flag of one state, and must maintain valid documentation on safety and insurance, among other requirements, the countries said in a joint statement issued
by the UK Department for Transport on Monday. Tankers that fail to do so
will be treated as stateless vessels, the signatories said, citing an article in a global maritime treaty as legal basis.
The so-called shadow, or dark, fleet is a group of around 1,500 tankers that carry Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan oil around the world. The ships are typically older than regular ve
ssels, and often use false flags to appear legitimate without having to comply with regulations.
By designating tankers as stateless, the nations could increase their capac
ity to intervene against them. The statement goes some way to formalizing the actions a handful of European countries have taken over r
ecent weeks — stepping up pressure on ships that are crucial to Russian oil exports.
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The French navy last week boarded what it said was a falsely flagged oil tanker coming from Russia, while a vessel that was
pretending to be another ship was forced to U-turn off Germany earlier this m
onth. Governments have long pledged to take measures against the dark fleet, bu
t they’ve toughened their stance this year. The US has also been seizing tankers linked to the Venezuelan oil trade.
Read more: US Seizes Russian-Flagged Tanker and Another Tied to Venezuela
The 14 states singled out Russia as interfering with satellite-based positioning and navigation systems that endanger intern
ational shipping. The global maritime community should cooperate to develop alternative onshore radio-navigation systems as a back-up when satellite-based ones are disrupted
, they said in the statement. They warned that ships’ automatic identification systems shouldn’t be tampered with.
Read more: Dark Fleet Seeking Russian Protection as US Seizes Oil Tankers
The 14 countries, including Sweden, France, Germany and the UK, line up along waterways that are the only outlets for major crude
export hubs in western Russia. Tankers lifting Urals crude from Primorsk and Ust-Luga must sail through the Baltic Sea and the North Sea before entering the Atlantic Ocean.