Russian shadow fleet leaves oil spills all over world – media
A joint investigation by Politico and the nonprofit journalism group SourceMaterial has uncovered at least nine instances of oil spills caused by Russian shadow fleet vessels in international waters since 2021.
Politico journalists used satellite images from the NGO SkyTruth and cross-referenced them with shipping data from Lloyd's List and the commodities platform Kpler. They identified oil leaks tied to Russia's shadow fleet in various locations around the world, including Thailand, Vietnam, Italy and Mexico.
Source: SkyTruth Cerulean
The investigation revealed that these tankers have traversed busy shipping corridors such as the Red Sea and the Panama Canal, posing a potential risk to international trade routes in the event of a serious accident.
Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard highlighted the significant threat these vessels pose to the marine environment. The findings made by journalists illustrate it well.
As Russia faces Western sanctions, more tankers are illegally transporting its oil globally, risking potential environmental disasters.
The Russian shadow fleet, consisting of over 600 tankers often owned by shell companies, was created to circumvent the G7's US$60-per-barrel price cap. Iran and Venezuela also employ similar tactics.
These vessels are not only often in poor condition and largely unregulated, but they also frequently have no insurance. This makes it difficult for governments to hold them accountable in the event of a spill or major accident.
On 24 June, the EU Council announced new sanctions targeting tankers that are part of Russia’s shadow fleet for transporting oil.
In July, more than 40 European countries agreed on a plan to combat Russia’s shadow fleet at the European Political Community summit.