Estonian PM names two options facing Russian shadow fleet vessels "caught" without insurance

This was stated on Tuesday by Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal, Ukrinform reports with reference to Reuters.

If the vessels do not cooperate, the following steps will be taken: they will be added to the sanctions list or stopped in certain areas, Michal said.

This is supposed to be done systematically in order to destroy Russia's shadow fleet, Michal added, speaking at the end of a two-day meeting of the leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the step.

"I welcome today's Nordic-Baltic Eight ++ joint statement on countering Russia's shadow fleet. Our sea is facing yet another environmental disaster caused by Russia. But there are even larger and more dangerous Russian tankers operating in your seas. Stopping this fleet is not just about cutting off Russia’s war funding – it’s about protecting nature," he wrote on X.

The leaders, who met in Tallinn, said there was a limit to how they could combat the shadow fleet, as international law gives ships considerable freedom to roam international waters.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said coastal states could invoke the legitimate right of suspicion as a pretext for inspecting ships.

There are rules that must be followed, he noted, adding that partners must work together to see how they can strengthen those rules and regulations to limit and contain this dangerous phenomenon.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson added that partners stand firmly for the international order of freedom of navigation, so there are obvious limits. But there are also limits to what Russia is allowed to do, he added.

The Russian shadow fleet is a fleet of vessels used by Russia to transport oil, weapons, and grain in violation of international sanctions over the war in Ukraine. These ships are not regulated by rules or insured by shipping companies.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on December 16, twelve European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands, agreed to start the fight against Russia's shadow fleet. Six of them – the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Finland, and Estonia – will begin checking insurance papers of ships in the English Channel, the Danish Straits, the Gulf of Finland, and the strait separating Sweden and Denmark.

Photo: Eero Vabamägi