EU develops plan to prevent Russia’s “shadow fleet” from cutting undersea cables, Politico reports

European countries — particularly in the Nordic and Baltic regions — are in talks to intensify measures against Russia’s “shadow fleet,” according to a report by Politico. The plan in discussion includes the mass seizure of oil tankers transporting Russian crude through the Baltic Sea. The EU is working on new legislation in parallel to establish the legal grounds for these seizures.

The officials said the proposals under consideration include invoking international law to detain vessels on environmental or piracy-related grounds. If that approach fails, countries may act independently, coordinating new national laws to seize more ships in international waters.

Officials point to an increase in incidents involving damage to vital undersea power and internet cables, as well as to the lack of insurance covering many Russian shadow fleet vessels in the event of oil spills. The risk of spills is high, as most of these vessels are aging tankers, many of which should have been scrapped but were instead purchased to facilitate Russian oil exports. The fleet continues to expand.

Despite the potential risks, such as the high cost and the possible deployment of the Russian navy to act as a convoy for the tankers, European officials are “barreling ahead,” with the three Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — openly discussing legal instruments they can use to seize the tankers.

“Close to 50 percent of sanctioned trade [in Russian seaborne oil] is going through the Gulf of Finland,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told Politico. “There are the environmental threats, there are the attacks we’ve had against our undersea infrastructure. Now the question is…what can we do with these ships? We cannot block all the sea, but we can control more… There are lots of opportunities.”

The Baltic Sea is a critical route for Russia’s shadow fleet. Tankers load Russian crude in ports like Ust-Luga, near St. Petersburg, and then travel through the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea, exiting into the North Sea before reaching global markets.

In 2023, 348 shadow fleet vessels departed from Baltic ports, accounting for 40% of Russia’s oil sales — a figure equivalent to nearly a third of Russia’s annual military budget.

In December, Finnish authorities detained the tanker Eagle S, which is suspected of being part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.” The tanker is accused of damaging four telecommunications cables — along with the Estlink 2 power cable connecting Finland and Estonia — by dragging its anchor along the seabed. British maritime journal Lloyd’s List, citing an unnamed source directly involved with the vessel, later reported that the Eagle S was equipped with spy equipment capable of monitoring NATO ships and aircraft.

In January, following multiple similar incidents, NATO announced the launch of the Baltic Sentry mission to safeguard critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. The operation will involve patrols by frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, and unmanned naval drones.