EU Intends To Completely Ban Maritime Services To Russia

To block Putin's "shadow fleet".

The European Union plans to impose a complete ban on maritime services to Russia as part of a new, 20th package of sanctions. This was announced by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, "European Pravda" reports. According to Kallas, the package, which is scheduled to be adopted on February 24, will also include measures in the energy sector and on fertilizer trade.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot specified that the sanctions will contain "particularly tough measures" specifically against the "shadow fleet." The aim of these restrictions is to completely block the movement of Russian "shadow" vessels, Barrot added.

These statements came after 14 Baltic and North Sea countries, including Britain, France, Germany and the Scandinavian states, issued a joint statement on January 27. In it, they warned that they intend to prevent the activities of "shadow fleet" tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil sanctions. Ships without a clear nationality will be considered "stateless vessels," which gives coastal countries the right to detain and inspect them, the document says.

In practice, some countries have already begun to act. For example, last week French Navy ships detained the tanker Grinch, which, according to French authorities, was traveling from Russia under a false flag. German authorities prevented the tanker Arcusat, which was not registered in any database and was heading for the Gulf of Finland, from entering the Baltic Sea. After that, two other tankers carrying oil from Murmansk turned around off the coast of Norway and went back, Bloomberg writes.

French President Emmanuel Macron on January 28 reiterated his determination to increase pressure on Russia and continue working to limit the activities of the "shadow fleet." The EU has not yet reached a final agreement on all points of the new sanctions package, but, as Kaja Kallas noted, work on it is actively underway.

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