According to research by the environmental protection organization Greenpeace, 192 dilapidated tankers are transporting Russian crude oil worldwide. The ships were outdated, many had technical defects, temporarily disabled their automatic identification systems or transferred cargo to other tankers at sea, the organization said.
171 of these ships have sailed through the German Baltic Sea and the sea area of the Kadetrinne shipping route in Mecklenburg Bay one or more times in the past two years.
Tanker insufficiently insured in the event of an oil spill
Greenpeace said transferring the cargo on the open sea was a particularly risky maneuver. The 192 ships mentioned are the most dangerous oil tankers of the so-called Russian shadow fleet. In addition, the tankers are not yet on a sanctions list. Greenpeace warned that if an accident were to happen in the Kadetrinne, northeast of Mecklenburg Bay, the entire German Baltic Sea coast would be at risk. All tankers are insufficiently insured against the consequences of an oil spill.
Greenpeace wants oil tankers to be added to the sanctions list
“These scrap tankers should be the first to be added to the EU sanctions list,” demands Thilo Maack, marine biologist at Greenpeace. “The (German) federal government must act quickly and prevent an impending catastrophe.” Greenpeace’s list includes several types of ships with a length of 183 to 275 meters. The oldest ship is 27 years old and the youngest is 16 years old.
India and China are the main buyers of Russian oil
In September, Greenpeace published data research showing that voyages of crude oil tankers leaving Russia in the Baltic Sea have increased by 70 percent since January 2021. A year after the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, nearly a thousand tankers loaded with oil from Russia are said to have passed west along the Baltic Sea coast in 2023. That is an average of two to three ships per day. The main customers are India and China.
Russia has long been accused of relying on ships not owned by Western shipping companies or insured by Western insurance companies in order to avoid a Western price ceiling on Russian oil exports to third countries. The price ceiling came into effect together with a far-reaching ban on the import of Russian oil into the EU.
This year, the Baltic Sea Council, made up of eight coastal states, called for decisive action against the shadow fleet, including tightening sanctions.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
