Belgium has seized an oil tanker from Russia’s “shadow fleet” during Operation Blue Interceptor. “In the past hours, our armed forces, with the support of the French Ministry of Defense, boarded an oil tanker belonging to Russia’s ‘shadow fleet,’” Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken wrote on the social network X on Sunday, March 1.
According to him, security forces boarded the vessel in the North Sea and escorted it to the port of Zeebrugge, where it was placed under arrest. Francken did not disclose the tanker’s name, promising to provide more detailed information on the morning of March 2.
In a conversation with Reuters, the Belgian minister explained that the ship is suspected of sailing under a false flag with forged documents.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever congratulated the country’s armed forces on their “professional and decisive actions during a successful operation” and thanked France for its support. “Belgium will respect international maritime law and ensure the security of its territorial waters,” the prime minister said regarding Operation Blue Interceptor.
Russia’s “shadow fleet”
“Without its ‘shadow fleet,’ Putin cannot wage war against peaceful Ukrainians. That is why we are disabling these vessels. One after another. Until his war ends,” Francken said.
The “shadow fleet” is used to circumvent Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its war against Ukraine. The ownership of such vessels is usually unclear. In addition, they are often aging tankers that pose environmental risks.
According to the Belgian public broadcaster RTBF, the detained oil tanker is Ethera. The 180-meter vessel, built in 2008, was sailing under the flag of Guinea and was en route from the English Channel. It was intercepted off the coast of Ostend.
Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden emphasized: “For the first time, an oil tanker has been intercepted at sea on the basis of intelligence data identifying it as a vessel operating under a false flag and therefore belonging to the ‘shadow fleet.’”
