MADRID Dec. 17 () –
The authorities of twelve European countries – Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and Sweden – have threatened this Monday to take new sanctions against the ships of the fleet. in the Russian shadow for its support in the war against Ukraine.
“These shadow fleet ships and those who facilitate them should be in no doubt: we are determined to hold them accountable – including through sanctions-related measures – for the risks they pose and the support they provide to Russia’s war against Ukraine,” they said in a joint statement.
Eight Nordic-Baltic countries along with four other states on the European continent have warned about the risks posed by the submerged fleet – these are ships from third countries that help transport prohibited goods to Russia or to benefit the Kremlin in its war effort. – for its impact on “the environment, maritime safety and international maritime trade, international maritime law and standards.”
To this end, the maritime authorities of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Finland and Estonia are requesting “relevant insurance tests for ships suspected of sailing in the shadows when passing through the English Channel, the Danish Strait of the Great Belt, the strait between Denmark and Sweden and the Gulf of Finland”, information that will be subsequently evaluated with the rest of the partners before making a decision.
“We are united in our shared determination to take further coordinated action to dismantle and deter Russia’s shadow fleet, address the risks it poses, work together to deter illegal operations and raise Russia’s costs,” they said in a statement. the press release.
European Union member states agreed last week to impose further sanctions against Russia over the military invasion of Ukraine, in what will be the 15th round of restrictions since the start of the offensive in February 2022 ordered by Vladimir Putin, including measures to stop the draw of export sanctions and counteract the phenomenon of the ‘shadow fleet’.
The Member States of the European Union have adopted this Monday a new round of sanctions against 52 ships that are part of the ‘ghost fleet’ that Russia uses to avoid European restrictions on the price of oil as well as to transport military material or stolen Ukrainian grain. . With this step, the EU maintains 79 vessels on its ‘blacklist’.
The 15th package of EU sanctions attacks 32 companies and 53 people participating in these maneuvers as well as the supply of dual-use goods, which Russia then uses in the war of aggression in Ukraine.
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