Russia operates on the “shadow fleet”. The EC tries to block the sale of her old tankers

Olof Gill spokesman Olof Gill said on Friday in Brussels that the EU accepted discouraging sailing companies from member countries for the sale of old ships for the needs of the Russian “shadow fleet”. It's about old tankers that can secretly transport Russian oil.

The EC spokesperson emphasized that the Union has already taken actions discouraging companies to this type of practice and intends to continue them. “In December 2023, we introduced a notification system that obliges sellers to inform the relevant authorities about the intention of selling them and to prove that this transaction will not violate the sanctions imposed on Russia. This system applies with retrospective power and applies to all transactions of this type from December 2022.” Gill said.

The spokesman added that, according to the European Commission, the preparation of ship's lists turned out to be a very effective tool to combat the risk associated with the celebration of sanctions.

Gill also emphasized that there are already 153 units on the EU sanction list as belonging to the Russian shadow fleet. In practice, this means that these ships are banned from accessing EU ports and a ban on providing services. This – as the EC assured – lines the costs of using such ships incurred by Russia, because they are no longer able to conduct ordinary activity in the EU, and also limits the number of tankers who are able to transport Russian oil.

The spokesman assured that the EC is constantly analyzing the data provided by the Member States, including applications regarding the extension of lists of units belonging to the Fleet Shadow in the future. “However, it should be remembered that every additional entry, as well as every decision regarding the joint sanctions of the EU, must be unanimously approved by the Member States” – reminded Gill. He assured, however, that the EC “tries to impose a maximum level of control over the shadow fleet to prevent its further development.”

From Brussels Jowita Kiwnik Pargan (PAP)

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