It is necessary to prohibit the shadow fleet of the Russian Federation from passing through the waters of Western countries - expert.

Old tankers from the shadow fleet of the Russian Federation are dumping oil in waters around the world. Most of them are insured by Russian insurers. To prevent an environmental disaster, it is necessary to introduce new sanctions and ban these ships from passing through European waters.

However, the shadow fleet of the Russian Federation has its supporters, said communication manager of Razom We Stand, Maksym Gardus, in an interview with the FREEДОМ TV channel.

The expert noted that about 60% of old tankers, older than 30 years, are used for illegal oil transportation.

According to him, Bloomberg published an investigation stating that, despite the sanctions, the Russian shadow fleet is insured by sanctioned Russian insurers, making payouts impossible in the event of unforeseen situations, especially environmental disasters.

"It is the requirements for marine transportation insurance that exist not only in international law but also in Russian law. Therefore, the consignor's companies and their captain comply with the requirements of Russian law regarding insurance. However, international law does not recognize them as legitimate. This indicates the need to expand the sanctions system. When such a vessel is insured by a Russian company or a fictitious company, the formal insurance requirement is met, but there is no real insurance. Therefore, when an insurance case occurs, the fictitious insurance company will not be able to cover the damage. Therefore, the presence of empty Russian fake insurances should not be ignored. It is necessary to prohibit the passage of Russian fleet ships through European waters. This is the only effective measure," emphasized Maksym Gardus.

He also noted that there are European countries that oppose tightening sanctions on the Russian shadow fleet.

"The Russian shadow fleet has its supporters. Southern European countries, such as Greece and Malta, block maritime transport from Russia, renting a large fleet for foreign cargoes. They consistently oppose expanding sanctions against Russian maritime transport. There are other European countries as well, which are generally opposed to sanctions against the Russian Federation, such as Hungary," said Maksym Gardus.