Experts from European environmental organizations are sounding the alarm about the activities of the Russian shadow fleet. They say that the danger from the passage of Russian ships is growing
According to them, tankers continue to dump oil off the coast of Europe. Investigators, using SkyTruth satellite images and data from the Kpler platforms, recorded at least five cases of illegal discharges.
One of them occurred on November 15, 2024: then, off the coast of Spain, in the Bay of Biscay, a 12-kilometer oil slick was recorded, left by the tanker Dinasty, which was sailing from India to the Russian Primorsky Krai. The ship was under sanctions from the United Kingdom. Over the past year, at least five ships have been unhindered in European waters after dumping oil.
Experts emphasize that old and worn-out tankers of the «shadow fleet» are dangerous not only because of fuel leaks. Their owners hide real information, and the ships themselves often do not have insurance. This makes it almost impossible to bring them to justice and creates the threat of huge costs for European countries in the event of a large-scale accident.
According to estimates by the Center for Energy and Clean Air Research, the cleanup of a large oil spill left by a single tanker could cost up to €1.4 billion. If the culprits are not found, the costs will fall on European taxpayers. And European taxpayers will pay for it if the guilty ship cannot be found.
Environmentalists demand a tougher fight against Russian tankers, in particular, a ban on their passage through the territorial waters of European countries and entry into European ports. Experts also emphasize the need for immediate arrests of ships in case they violate sanctions.
