CREA: EU Crackdown Cuts Shadow Fleet False-Flagging

European Enforcement Shows Measurable Impact

According to a report by the nonprofit think tank Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Europe’s intensified detentions of vessels transporting Russian crude are producing measurable results. The number of shadow fleet vessels flying false flags has fallen from a peak of 101 in October last year to 45 by the end of June, as covered by Maritime Executive.

In the first half of this year, authorities boarded and detained around 13 tankers in European or UK coastal waters. Notable cases include the 2009-built tanker Smyrtos, seized by British forces in the English Channel in June for sanctions violations, and the Tagor (114,809 dwt), boarded by French troops in the Mediterranean in May.

Vessels Flocking to the Russian Registry

As detentions rise, CREA finds a growing number of shadow fleet vessels are seeking refuge under the Russian flag. Between January and the end of June, 107 vessels joined the Russian registry, pushing the total fleet sailing under that flag up 36 percent, from 280 to 382 vessels. Of those newly added, 87 percent were already under sanctions.

December last year saw the sharpest spike in reflagging, with 25 vessels joining the Russian registry that month. Monthly additions have since declined steadily — from 17 in January to just three in June — which the report attributes largely to a draft presidential decree that would cap the age of vessels the registry accepts.

Among the 107 new entrants, 93 were already sanctioned, and 72 of those had collectively transported Russian fossil fuels worth an estimated €7.5 billion ($8.5 billion). After being sanctioned, these 72 vessels changed flags roughly three times more often, switching registries every three to four months before eventually settling under the Russian flag.

Notable Cases

The 2003-built gas carrier Arctic Metagaz, the fifth-oldest vessel to join the Russian registry, suffered an explosion in the Mediterranean in March while carrying 60,000 tonnes of Russian LNG. Moscow did not mount a salvage operation, leaving Libya, Malta and Italy to manage the response.

Another case is the 19-year-old Boracay, which changed flags multiple times before registering under the Russian flag in January. The vessel was the first shadow tanker detained after France intercepted it off Saint-Nazaire last September; its captain was sentenced in absentia to one year in prison. The ship resurfaced under the Russian flag in January under a new name, Phoenix.

Citing these patterns, CREA is urging Europe to build enforcement frameworks specifically targeting Russian-flagged vessels and to continue expanding inspections and detentions of the wider shadow fleet.