Agency Report –
Oil tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” pose a growing environmental risk along Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, according to Greenpeace.
Since mid-June, 188 such tankers have passed the German coastline carrying millions of tons of crude oil from the Russian ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga, the environmental group said on Monday.
Of these, 123 vessels were on international sanctions lists, while 27 so-called “ghost tankers” were not registered in any shipping database and sailed under false flags, Greenpeace said.
A total of 70 ships were 20 years old or older – “no longer suitable for the safe transport of crude oil,” the organization said.
Thilo Maack, a Greenpeace marine biologist, compared Russia’s use of ghost tankers to driving an unregistered, uninsured truck loaded with hazardous cargo down a highway. He warned that the German coast must be protected from the environmental risks posed by these vessels.
The Russian “shadow fleet” refers to vessels used to bypass international sanctions and continue exporting oil and other commodities. Many of the ships are ageing and operate under foreign flags to conceal their ownership.
Greenpeace called on Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt to strengthen coastal protection.
In addition, government lawyers would need to examine whether vessels from the shadow fleet without a flag could be denied the right of passage, Maack said.
In June, Baltic Sea states – along with Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom – announced plans to take coordinated action against the Russian shadow fleet.
