Russia's Shadow Tanker Fleet is Polluting World ocean with oil spill. The West practically ignores environmental damage, writes Politico.
A joint investigation by Politico and the nonprofit journalism group SourceMaterial has found at least nine cases of Russian Shadow Navy ships leaving behind oil slicks since 2021.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergaard told reporters that Russian ships pose a "significant danger" for the marine environment and these incidents are proof of that.
"Not only are these vessels old and largely unregulated, they are also often uninsured, meaning that in the event of a leak or more serious [oil] spill, it will be difficult for the government to bail them out under responsibility", the post says.
Experts believe that it is only a matter of time before one of these ships suffers an accident with serious environmental and economic consequences.
The risk posed by the Shadow Fleet is global: analysis of the Shadow Fleet's routes shows that the ships traveled along the US West Coast, repeatedly crossing the Mediterranean Sea, the English Channel and skirting the coast of China.< /p>
The problem is particularly relevant for the Old Continent, where experts believe that a major accident of such a ship is only a matter of time, since Europe is the main route of these ships.
Satellite images show that small accidents are already happening around the world, almost unnoticed by local authorities.
Journalistic investigations show that even European governments are unwilling to confront the problem. The case of the Innova tanker, which left Murmansk in March and spilled oil in a 23-kilometer oil slick 100 km off the coast of Scotland, is indicative in this regard. However, the vessel was not detained by UK authorities.
A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency told reporters that it had found "insufficient evidence of wrongdoing" - although there is a requirement to investigate visible stains where possible.
"Action is always considered if there is evidence of potential harm to the environment or the public, which is not the case in this case," the spokesman said.
Eventually, the tanker moved safely to the port of Vadinar in India. Then in July, Innova changed its name, managers and owner.
The Innova is far from the only vessel that has literally left a trail of pollution in its wake. On February 18, satellites spotted another spot 47 km long off the coast of Italy, which coincided with the coordinates of another Shadow Fleet tanker, the Aruna Gulcay. The Italian Coast Guard did not inspect the vessel. But a spokesman for the Italian Maritime Agency said it had contacted the nearest ships to get information about the spill.
Against this background, determined European politicians are calling for active sanctions against individual ships of the Russian shadow fleet.
To transport its oil, Russia has created a "shadow fleet" from old tankers, many of which were purchased through elaborate schemes. The Financial Times found out exactly how Russia bought these ships. Since the ships were purchased through a cunning scheme, it is extremely difficult to determine the ultimate owner.
We also pointed out that the Czech Republic spent 5 times more on oil and gas from Russia than on aid to Ukraine. Czech industry benefits from loophole in Russian oil sanctions.