The risk of a large Baltic Sea oil spill has risen since Russia began using a "shadow fleet" of tankers to circumvent curbs on its oil exports, Finland's Border Guard warned on April 11. Mikko Simola, head of the Border Guard’s maritime-safety unit, told AFP that around 70 "ghost" oil tankers navigate through the Gulf of Finland every week, increasing the risk of "an accident with environmental consequences." Experts say the fleet of tankers with opaque ownership or without proper insurance has allowed the Kremlin to keep exporting despite a Western-imposed embargo and oil price cap.
Russian 'Shadow Fleet' Ups Risk Of Baltic Sea Spill, Finland's Border Guard Says
An oil tanker in the Gulf of Finland passes the Lakhta Center skyscraper, the headquarters of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June 2023.