Russia can't hide anymore: Baltics target shadow fleet with new rules
Photo: Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budris (Vitalii Nosach RBC-Ukraine)
A number of European Union countries will develop rules for handling vessels belonging to Russia's so-called shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea, according to Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys for Delfi.
The minister's statement followed an incident in Estonia, where a shadow fleet vessel was spotted in its economic waters. The ship’s crew reportedly refused to comply with instructions from Estonian authorities.
"We will coordinate and develop common rules within the BSRG framework on how to act in cases when vessels do not follow instructions or are classified as part of the "shadow fleet" and have no flag at all, as was the case this time. These vessels should not be protected by international legal norms that grant them jurisdictional immunity," Budrys said.
He stated that the Council of the Baltic Sea States also discussed the possibility of restricting the movement of shadow vessels through straits.
"International maritime law in this situation is not entirely clear, but it is evident that when vessels have no flag, coastal states have more room to act," said Lithuania’s Foreign Minister.
In his view, expanding the sanctions list against shadow fleet vessels would further limit Russia’s ability to use its fleet.
"Another measure is the synchronization of all existing vessel lists that appear in different sanctions lists under various jurisdictions — those of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. We need to expand this list. After the 17th package, it currently includes 350 vessels. We need to fully populate it to further reduce Russia’s capacity to use its fleet and pose a threat to us," Budrys noted.
Baltic Sea incident
Recently, Estonia’s Navy reported that a flagless vessel named Jaguar, sanctioned by the United Kingdom, refused to cooperate when asked to stop.
It is known that the ship was sailing in international waters and ignored an order from the Estonian navy to change course. Afterward, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet approached the tanker, circled it, and briefly violated Estonian airspace.
Later, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that Russia had scrambled a fighter jet when Tallinn attempted to detain in the Baltic Sea an oil tanker likely belonging to the "shadow fleet" and under sanctions.
"Moscow is prepared to defend the "shadow fleet"... The situation is truly serious," the minister said.
NATO soon responded to the airspace violation by the Russian fighter jet.
