The European Union plans to secure prior authorization from countries that register tankers belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet, allowing the inspection of such vessels. This is one of the measures the EU intends to implement to complicate the logistics of Russia’s oil trade, Politico reports.
The publication obtained an internal memo from the European External Action Service (EEAS), prepared ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting scheduled for Monday. The document outlines steps the bloc plans to take against the shadow fleet.
Among the proposed measures are a requirement for prior consent to inspect vessels and the deregistration of shipsthat have fallen under European sanctions. The EU aims to negotiate with countries registering such ships on behalf of the bloc, with the backing of all EU member states.
The proposed authorization would allow EU military and border authorities to board shadow fleet vessels, inspect their documents, and detain or arrest them if violations are found. Refusal to register such ships would, in turn, restrict their access to services and effectively ban their operation.
The memo also notes that Panama has already agreed to remove sanctioned ships from its registry. Moreover, the country has voluntarily decided not to register aging tankers, many of which are used in Russia’s shadow fleet.
