On July 1, Germany tightened inspections of tankers passing through its territorial waters as part of measures to counter Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. This was reported by the German Foreign Ministry.
Starting on July 2, tankers traveling through German territorial waters will be asked to provide an insurance coverage for damage caused by oil pollution, Reuters reported.
If any discrepancies are found, the vessel may be subject to additional measures, ranging from increased surveillance in Europe to being added to the sanctions list.
The new measures apply to vessels traveling east of the German island of Fehmarn in the Baltic Sea, the German Foreign Ministry said.
Earlier, 14 European countries agreed to step up the fight against Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
“The insurance coverage of these ships is often unknown, as they avoid well-known insurance companies and European ports,” the statement said.
As German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul emphasized, the new measure is intended to “increase pressure on the Russian shadow fleet and protect the Baltic Sea’s living space.”
Along with Germany, Sweden also began checking tanker insurance information on Tuesday.
Russia uses a “shadow fleet” of several hundred tankers to transport oil and gas or to transport stolen Ukrainian grain.
The European Union has already added nearly 350 ships from the “shadow fleet” to its sanctions list, most recently on May 20.
