Yuriy Kobzar16:33, 17.10.24

Old uninsured vessels with unclear ownership patterns are an environmental bomb for the world.

Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers pollutes the world’s oceans with oil leaks. The West actually ignores its damage to the environment, writes Politico .

A joint investigation by Politico and the non-profit journalism group SourceMaterial found at least nine cases of Russian shadow fleet vessels leaving behind oil slicks since 2021. Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergaard told reporters that Russian vessels pose a “significant danger” to the maritime environment, and these incidents are proof.

“Not only are these vessels old and largely unregulated, they are often uninsured, which means that in the event of a leak or more serious [oil] spill, it will be difficult for the government to hold them accountable,” the authors of the publication note.

Experts believe that it is only a matter of time before one of these ships suffers a disaster with serious environmental and economic consequences. 

The risk posed by the Shadow Fleet is global: analysis of the Shadow Fleet’s routes shows that vessels have traveled along the West Coast of the United States, passed through the Mediterranean Sea, the English Channel, and skirted the Chinese coastline on multiple occasions. The problem is especially acute in Europe, where, according to experts, a major accident of such a vessel is a matter of time, since it is through Europe that the main route of these vessels lies.

Satellite images show that small accidents are already happening around the world, largely unnoticed by local governments.

The journalists’ investigation showed that even European governments are not too eager to somehow confront this problem. An example here is the case that happened in March with the tanker Innova, which left Murmansk and spilled oil in a 23-kilometer oil slick 100 kilometers off the coast of Scotland. However, the vessel was not detained by the British authorities.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency told reporters it had not found “sufficient evidence of a breach” — even though there is a requirement to investigate visible stains whenever possible.

“Actions will always be considered if there is evidence of potential harm to the environment or society, which was not the case in this case,” the spokesman said.

In the end, the tanker safely reached the port of Vadinar in India. Then in July, Innova changed its name, executives and owner.

The Innova is far from the only vessel that has literally left behind traces of pollution. On February 18, satellites spotted another spot 47 kilometers long off the coast of Italy, which coincides with the coordinates of another shadow fleet tanker, the Aruna Gulcay. Likewise, the Italian Coast Guard did not inspect the vessel. Instead, a spokesman for the Italian maritime agency said it had contacted the nearest ships for information about the spill. 

Against this background, determined European politicians are calling for the active introduction of sanctions against individual vessels of Russia’s shadow fleet.

(C)UNIAN 2024