Suspected Russian shadow fleet' tanker seized in North Sea

"Special forces assisted by French helicopters boarded the ship in a clandestine operation in the North Sea on Saturday night, Belgium's defence minister, Theo Francken, said on Sunday. Prosecutors said the tanker, identified as the Ethera, was falsely flying the flag of Guinea and was believed to be on its way back to Russia when it was seized in Belgium's exclusive economic zone."

"The often dilapidated tankers, which tend to be either uninsured or under-insured, sail under the flags of countries such as Panama, the Gambia, Barbados or the Comoros and transport Russian crude oil to destinations including China and India. The oil is processed in the destination countries and then sold on international markets."

"The seizure suggests a hardening of Europe's attitude towards Russia's shadow fleet. Since the start of the year, western naval forces have intensified their tracking of shadow fleet vessels in the Baltic and North Sea. The US, the UK, France and Germany in particular have been increasing surveillance operations and possess a higher readiness to board vessels at gunpoint using helicopters."

Belgium's special forces, assisted by French helicopters, conducted a clandestine operation in the North Sea to seize the Ethera, an oil tanker suspected of being part of Russia's shadow fleet used to circumvent western sanctions. The vessel was falsely flying Guinea's flag and heading back to Russia when intercepted in Belgium's exclusive economic zone. The ship's Russian captain was questioned and the vessel's documents were suspected of being fraudulent. The tanker was escorted to Zeebrugge harbour for official confiscation. This seizure reflects Europe's hardening stance toward Russia's shadow fleet operations. Since the year's start, western naval forces including the US, UK, France, and Germany have intensified surveillance and boarding operations against shadow fleet vessels in the Baltic and North Sea.

Read at www.theguardian.com