Britain to begin intercepting tankers from Russia's shadow fleet — Bloomberg
The British government has announced that it is taking decisive action against the aggressor’s maritime logistics, authorizing the interception and inspection of vessels belonging to Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
This was reported by Bloomberg.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office confirmed that British territorial waters, including the strategically important English Channel, will be closed to tankers transporting smuggled oil to finance the war against Ukraine.
This move aims not only to intensify pan-European pressure on the Kremlin but also to physically block energy export routes that circumvent international sanctions.
The British government emphasizes that depriving Vladimir Putin of his “dirty money” is critical to stopping his barbaric military campaign.
To implement the new strategy, the British military and law enforcement agencies have begun specialized training for various scenarios of events at sea.
The training programs include practicing boarding techniques on vessels whose crews may offer armed resistance or attempt to flee using modern technological means of concealment.
British authorities are preparing to counter tankers that deliberately turn off their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) or use forged documents.
“We are stepping up our fight against his shadow fleet to cut off funding for Putin’s war machine,” the Prime Minister’s office stated, adding that evading interception will force Russia to choose longer and more expensive routes.
The announcement of enforcement measures came ahead of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit in Helsinki, where Keir Starmer will discuss joint actions with the leaders of Northern European countries.
This group, which includes Finland, Sweden, and Estonia, is already receiving assistance from the British Royal Navy in tracking suspicious tankers in the Baltic Sea.
The joint efforts of European partners are aimed at making the activities of the “shadow fleet” economically unviable and technically impossible.
More than 600 Russian tankers are already subject to Western sanctions, but physical control of maritime routes is expected to be the decisive factor in the fight against oil smuggling.
As a reminder, the Russian Federation’s shadow fleet is used for espionage missions in Europe.
Additionally, Russian mercenaries control the “shadow fleet” transporting oil in the Gulf of Finland.
