EU Forces Board Sixth Suspected Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker

European naval forces have boarded another tanker suspected of operating as part of Russia’s shadow fleet, marking the sixth such inspection carried out by European Union operations in recent months.

Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI said it conducted a flag-verification boarding of the oil tanker Sun on August 30 while carrying out surveillance activities in the Mediterranean.

The boarding was conducted under Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which allows warships to verify the nationality of merchant vessels on the high seas under certain circumstances, including when there are reasonable grounds to suspect a vessel is sailing under a false flag or without nationality.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the Sun was suspected of sailing under a false flag in breach of international maritime law.

“Illegal oil sales from shadow fleet ships are a critical lifeline for Russia’s war in Ukraine, and we’ll continue to cut them off,” Kallas said.

According to Kallas, the boarding was the sixth involving a suspected shadow fleet vessel carried out by EU naval operations in recent months.

The latest action comes as the European Union steps up efforts to move beyond sanctions listings and take a more active role in challenging the nationality of vessels linked to Russia’s oil trade.

Earlier this month, Operation IRINI boarded the EU-sanctioned tanker Toa Payoh in international waters west of the Italian island of Pantelleria. The vessel was sailing under the declared flag of Cameroon, prompting European forces to conduct an inspection to determine whether it was legitimately entitled to fly the flag.

The vessel’s master initially declined to cooperate, according to the mission, before Italian naval personnel were inserted by helicopter from the Italian Navy frigate ITS Thaon di Revel. The inspection concluded without incident.

Operation IRINI previously boarded the sanctioned tanker South Star during another flag-verification mission after questions were raised about the vessel’s claimed nationality.

Originally established to enforce the United Nations arms embargo on Libya, Operation IRINI received authority earlier this year to carry out flag-verification boardings under Article 110 of UNCLOS. The EU has also expanded similar authority to Operation ATALANTA, its counter-piracy mission operating in the western Indian Ocean.

The measures are aimed in part at Russia’s shadow fleet, a loosely defined network of tankers used to move Russian oil outside traditional Western shipping, insurance and financial networks. Western governments say vessels in the fleet frequently use opaque ownership structures, switch flags and registries, and operate with questionable insurance arrangements.

European officials have increasingly focused on suspected false-flag operations as a potential enforcement tool because UNCLOS provides warships with specific rights to approach and verify vessels whose nationality is in doubt.

The issue is set to receive further attention this week, with Kallas saying actions against Russia’s shadow fleet will be among the topics discussed when EU defense ministers meet in Ireland on Tuesday.

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