“Russia’s sanctions evasion program is becoming increasingly complicated and sophisticated,” shipping experts warn. The Finnish border guards are now also sounding the alarm.
The Finnish border guard has warned of the risk of an oil spill in view of a fleet of so-called ghost tankers that are transporting Russian oil through the Baltic Sea despite sanctions
As the authority said on Thursday, 70 of these ships with 100,000 tons of crude oil on board pass through the Gulf of Finland every week after loading at various Russian ports. There is “an increased risk of accidents with consequences for the environment,” said the head of the maritime safety department, Mikko Simola.
The number of tanker trips in the area is “approximately the same or even higher than before the Russian attack on Ukraine,” the Finnish border guard said.
Border guards increase surveillance
According to the border guard, the tankers fly under the flags of Cameroon, Gabon, Djibouti, Palau or Belize. These have “never been seen before” in the northern Baltic Sea. Surveillance in the area has been increased, the border guard said. Finland is ready to intervene with the support of other states bordering the Baltic Sea such as Sweden or Estonia.
Ghost ships are freighters that do not come from G7 or EU countries and are not insured for transport, according to a report by the private Kyiv School of Economics (KSE). The actual ownership structure is usually opaque. Read more about the ghost ships here.
Vladimir Putin is trying to circumvent Western sanctions with the ships. This not only brings money into the Kremlin’s war chest – the dilapidated, uninsured tankers are also a danger to shipping and the environment. “Russia’s sanctions evasion program is becoming increasingly complicated and sophisticated,” warn shipping experts.