Representatives of a number of European environmental organizations, in particular environmental societies in Norway, Finland, Sweden and Britain, are concerned about the increasing activity of shadow fleet tankers in the Arctic Ocean. Environmentalists draw attention to the fact that since August 2026, the number of tankers transporting oil and liquefied natural gas in the Arctic Ocean has seriously increased.
They are concerned about the accident rate of these tankers, since, as a rule, these are ships older than 15-20 years. Also dangerous is the fact that the Russians use prohibited types of fuel, which are specifically prohibited in this region, and unauthorized types of ships, the so-called single-hull ships, during transportation. Such dangerous practices of the shadow fleet could lead to serious accidents and environmental disasters in the Arctic region.
Therefore, environmentalists are calling for a stronger fight against the Russian shadow fleet, including the introduction of more sanctions, a ban on the provision of maritime services in European ports, and an increase in the number of law enforcement missions that could detain tankers leaving the Arctic Ocean.
