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Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has expressed the UK’s readiness to collaborate with European partners to intercept oil tankers evading sanctions, specifically those linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet. Speaking from a patrol vessel docked in Helsinki harbour, Cooper observed Finnish border agents demonstrate their methods of seizing Russian ships, including a helicopter rappel operation. She emphasized the necessity for heightened “assertive action” geared toward tightening control over the shadow fleet through increased disruption and enforcement.
Recently, British forces supported a US-led operation that resulted in the seizure of a Russian-flagged tanker in the Atlantic Ocean. US officials accused the vessel of breaching sanctions by transporting oil on behalf of Venezuela and Russia. Cooper reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to such enforcement, stating, “We’ve already acted in support of US action, and you’ve seen the interdiction we’ve taken, we also stand ready to work with other countries and with other allies on the kind of enforcement action we need there.” Onboard the Finnish offshore patrol ship Turva, she received a briefing on a recent incident involving the detention of a cargo ship named Fitburg, which was suspected of damaging an undersea cable in the Baltic Sea by dragging its anchor.
Cooper highlighted the broader risks posed by these shadow fleets, not only as facilitators of sanctions evasion but also as threats to critical infrastructure. She said, “We need to protect our undersea cables. We need to protect our critical national infrastructure and protect our environment from these often decrepit and dangerous vessels that are also fuelling the war in Ukraine, and that’s why we’ll take that stronger action.” Although the UK has yet to deploy military personnel to board such vessels, officials believe there is now a legal foundation to authorize these actions under the 2018 Sanctions and Money Laundering Act.
The foreign secretary also discussed ongoing international efforts, including working with Finnish allies, to adopt a tougher stance against the shadow fleet and to explore measures such as a maritime services ban. She noted that “we’re determined to have a much more assertive approach to tighten that chokehold on the Russian shadow fleet.” The issue of shadow fleets—aging tanker vessels registered under false flags to evade sanctions—is becoming increasingly widespread, with countries like Venezuela, Iran, and Russia employing similar tactics. Financial analysts estimate that about 20% of oil tankers globally engage in smuggling oil from sanctioned nations, highlighting the scale and complexity of this challenge
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