Russia | Bloomberg: Britain and EU countries take aim at Russia’s “shadow fleet”.

Britain intends to present a plan together with several EU countries this week to make the operation of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet more difficult, reports the news agency Bloomberg based on the documents he has seen and his sources familiar with the matter.

A large part of Russia’s Baltic Sea oil exports has been transferred to the so-called shadow fleet. With it, Russia circumvents the oil price ceiling and sanctions imposed on it by Western countries. The fleet operates separately from established Western service providers, and the true owners of the vessels operating in the fleet are unknown due to their complex ownership arrangements.

According to a draft document seen by Bloomberg, Russia’s shadow fleet also poses a threat to the seas and the countries that depend on them, as its ships are uninsured and poorly maintained.

A draft proposal according to the meeting of the European political community held on Thursday, Britain and several EU countries are to approve a plan for actions aimed at the Russian shadow fleet. The draft did not specify which EU countries would accept it.

The meeting to be held in Britain is hosted by the country’s prime minister Keir Starmer.

According to the draft, officials and experts from different countries would urgently establish a group, within the framework of which actions aimed at the shadow fleet are to be promoted.

Actions would include at least the sharing of information so that the risks caused by the shadow fleet can be responded to in a coordinated manner. In addition, it presents cooperation with the private sector and other maritime stakeholders, the draft reads.

Countermeasures could include the sanctioning of more shadow fleet ships, Bloomberg’s source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.

According to the EU Commission’s estimate, the shadow fleet includes around 400 ships. Sanctions have been imposed on only a small part of them.