Russia's 'Shadow Fleet' Supplies Oil to Europe for Several Weeks Now - Greenpeace.

Tankers with Russian Oil Bypass EU Sanctions

According to Greenpeace, tankers with Russian oil continue to deliver cargo directly to European Union ports.

Using GPS, it was established that these vessels, likely loaded with Russian crude oil, are departing from Russian ports in the Baltic Sea. Information about their routes indicates that they are arriving directly at EU ports, violating current sanctions.

Since March 2023, the supply of Russian oil to the EU has been banned. However, these shipments predominantly involved vessels of Greek companies, which have dubious reputations and are suspected of participation in Russia's 'shadow fleet'. These are vessels that seemingly help Russia bypass sanctions.

Satellite data shows that since July 2024, around 15 tankers have been heading directly to European ports from Russian oil ports such as Primorsk, Ust-Luga, and Novorossiysk. These vessels left Russian ports fully loaded with oil. After arriving at the intended ports, the cargo was unloaded, as evidenced by the reduction in the tankers' draft. Large tankers allow for the transport of over 150 million liters of oil each.

The research also showed that since January 2021, tanker voyages with Russian oil have increased by 70% along the German Baltic Sea coast. However, the total volume of transport along this route has decreased since the start of the conflict. It was also revealed that the average age of tankers used for oil transport has increased from 8.9 years in 2021 to 16.6 years in 2024. This poses a significant threat, as an accident could lead to oil spills on Fehmarn Island and the Baltic resorts of Warnemünde and Damp.

Source: UNIAN