Belgium detains Russian tanker from shadow fleet

On Sunday, the Belgian armed forces detained the oil tanker Ethera, which, according to Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken, belongs to the so-called Russian ´shadow fleet.`

The ship, which is on the EU sanctions list, was escorted to the port of Zeebrugge with the support of the French defense forces, where it is to be officially seized. According to Belgian authorities, there is suspicion that the vessel was sailing under a false flag and with false documents.

The shadow fleet was created after the West imposed sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine with the aim of limiting oil export revenues. Moscow uses tankers with an opaque ownership structure to maintain its exports of raw materials.

In addition to circumventing sanctions, these aging ships also raise concerns about environmental risks. Francken said that without this fleet, Vladimir Putin would not be able to finance the war against Ukraine. Russia, on the other hand, calls such interventions piracy.

(reuters, mja)