What is Russia’s shadow fleet and how is it helping Putin wage war in Ukraine?

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given permission for the British military to board and detain Russian ships allegedly part of a shipping network that allows Moscow to export oil due to Western sanctions.

The prime minister said Russian President Vladimir Putin approved more aggressive action probably because he was “wringing his hands” over the rise in oil prices resulting from the US-Israeli war against Iran.

“That’s why we’re going after his shadow fleet even harder, not only keeping Britain safe but also depriving Putin’s war machine of the dirty profits that fund his barbaric campaign in Ukraine,” Starmer said in a statement.

British military and law enforcement officials are preparing to board Russian ships that do not surrender, are armed or use high-tech, pervasive surveillance to avoid capture.

In recent months, European countries have stepped up efforts to disrupt Russia’s so-called shadow tanker fleet, which Moscow uses to finance its four-year war against Ukraine.

The Independent answers what the shadow fleet is and how it helps Putin in Ukraine:

What is the Russian shadow fleet?

Britain and other European countries accuse Russia of using foreign-flagged oil tankers to export oil, allowing Moscow to continue to benefit from lucrative energy trade despite international sanctions.

Shadow fleet ships typically have murky ownership structures and are often poorly regulated; Aging tankers are prone to spills, mechanical failures and leaks.

Britain says it has already sanctioned more than 500 suspected shadow fleet ships and estimates that around three-quarters of Russia’s crude oil production is carried by these ships.

Although there are no official figures, analysts estimate that Russia has purchased around 155 tankers and a total of 435 ships since late 2022, when sanctions came into force.

Analytics firm Kpler evaluated As of late last year, the shadow fleet was carrying around 3.7 million barrels a day, or 65 percent of Russia’s maritime trade, worth up to $100 billion a year.

Despite efforts to crack down on ships sailing in the Mediterranean, many still operate via the Baltic Sea and transport oil via the Gulf of Finland, a critical route for Russian exports.

In March, after the French Navy seized the suspected shadow fleet tanker Deyna in the western Mediterranean, French President Emmanuel Macron described them as “war profiteers” who were “trying to make a profit and finance Russia’s war effort.”

How does it work?

Europe is stepping up efforts to detect and stop ships serving Russian interests. But ships have a variety of tricks to avoid identification and liability, and they continue to grow as blacklisted ships are replaced by cheap, older ships.

The fleet uses tactics such as ship-to-ship transfers in international waters where there is less oversight by port control authorities. This makes it easier to evade attention and avoid sanctions.

They also use spoofing, including fake ship identification numbers, deliberately false location data, and using flag countries with less oversight, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence and the Finnish Coast Guard.

Most tankers belong to shell companies; start-ups are buying and selling rapidly on ships, making it even more difficult to prove accountability.

They also often sail without top-tier Western insurance or safety certificate coverage and have unknown insurers or assessors as to the ships’ seaworthiness. Norway has said most of its fleet consists of older tankers that rely on non-Western and even fake insurance.

Gonzalo Saiz Erausquin, part of the maritime sanctions task force at the national security think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), said: International Bar Association: “The problem with the shadow fleet is that ownership is extremely opaque.”

Although disruptions and new appointments make it harder for Russia to circumvent the rules, he said there is still a risk of “forcing them into another alternative structure or jurisdiction.”

“Another problem is flag hopping; if a ship is detected flagging one jurisdiction, it will register in another jurisdiction to camouflage its operations,” he said.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies says Ukraine “can and should continue to hold illicit Russian maritime trade at risk” but that this “is not an option for the US, UK or European Union without causing significant tension.”

The legal basis for seizing ships is guided by the UN Convention, which allows the seizure of ships only in cases of piracy. European countries are now exploring different ways to legally stop and board ships.

Zelensky said he was working with European countries to ensure Ukraine could legally block such ships and seize their oil.

How are they fueling Russia’s war in Ukraine?

Compared to Ukraine, England and France, Russia benefits most from shadow fleet exports.

While Europe looks for other oil and gas sellers, China and India continue to buy large quantities of Russian crude, albeit currently at steep discounts.

Before March, Washington had urged India to stop buying Russian oil as it tried to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.

This changed with the US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February, when the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices above $100 per barrel and the US eased sanctions to contain the damage.

Since the war began, Russia has earned an extra $150 million a day thanks to the rise in oil prices. Finance Times.

A British government source said earlier this year: Times He said Britain was considering using oil seized from Russia’s shadow fleet ships to finance Ukraine’s military needs, which would have a “double effect” that would hit Russian exports and support Kiev.