Despite sanctions, Russia's shadow fleet is sailing freely through British waters, — BBC
Russia’s shadow fleet continues to actively use British shipping lanes to export oil, despite London’s high-profile statements about cracking down on vessels evading sanctions. None of the ships have been detained.
This is reported by BBC Verify, citing its own investigation and data from the MarineTraffic system.
Back in March, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the British military “can now board sanctioned vessels passing through our waters.” This was intended to send a strong signal to the Kremlin.
However, journalists found that the actual situation differs significantly from the official rhetoric.
According to the investigation, 184 vessels subject to British sanctions made 238 passages through British waters. At the same time, the government has provided no evidence that even one of these ships was intercepted or detained.
The British Ministry of Defense claims to be “containing” the Russian fleet, but has not disclosed any specific details.
Former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharp criticized this situation.
“Pathetic,” he said of the lack of real action against Russian ships.
Most of the routes taken by Russian tankers pass through the English Channel and the UK’s exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from the coast.
According to BBC Verify:
- 184 sanctioned vessels were recorded in British waters;
- they passed near the coast 238 times;
- 94 times, the vessels entered British territorial waters directly.
The vast majority of these ships are oil tankers. Among them were also liquefied natural gas carriers and multipurpose vessels.
Journalists note that the ownership structures of such ships are as convoluted as possible, allowing the true beneficiaries to remain hidden.
In addition, shadow fleet vessels often turn off their AIS automatic identification systems to conceal their location. The signal disappears particularly frequently near the western coasts of Scotland and Ireland.
One of the most high-profile cases was the passage of the sanctioned tanker Universal through the English Channel, escorted by the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich. This was confirmed by satellite imagery.
Legal experts explain that London’s options are limited by international maritime law.
“The position, with very few exceptions, is that you cannot seize vessels flying the flag of another country,” said lawyer James M. Turner.
According to him, if a tanker is formally entitled to sail under a foreign flag, Britain is practically unable to intervene even if it is transporting sanctioned cargo.
The European Union is working on a 21st package of sanctions against Russia, which could be adopted in late June or early July. According to Politico, key restrictions are planned to target Russia’s shadow fleet and schemes to circumvent existing sanctions.
Prior to this, Zelenskyy thanked Britain for sanctions against drone manufacturers and recruiters.
Earlier, it was reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had signed a new package of sanctions. Among other things, the restrictions apply to entities from Belarus.
Ukraine will increase pressure on Russia and its partners over the illegal export of grain from temporarily occupied territories and is preparing new sanctions.
