Germany and Sweden increased coordination on July 1, 2025, joining Baltic and Scandinavian countries and the EU to combat shadow fleet vessels violating maritime regulations in the Baltic Sea. German authorities focused on vessels near Fehmarn island, 12 miles from Sweden, querying tankers on insurance coverage against oil pollution. This move complements Germany’s January 2025 seizure of the Panama-flagged tanker Eventin, identified as a shadow fleet vessel violating regulations and currently under legal review. Sweden plans to boost surveillance on suspect vessels, while Denmark recently detected deceptive tanker movements but opted not to detain due to legal complexities. Russia condemned these efforts, calling them piracy at the UN and vowed to protect tankers with warships seen nearby and a Russian warplane’s brief airspace violation over Estonia during a suspicious tanker incident. The EU and UK have aggressively expanded sanctions on the shadow fleet and Russian energy sector; estimates cite over 800 tankers involved in Russian oil trade violations including the G7 price cap on crude. These multinational enforcement efforts come amid growing geopolitical tension over maritime security and energy sanctions in the Baltic region.
Category: Economic & Financial Pressure
Subcategory: Sanctions Evasion & Smuggling
Incident Type: Sanctions busting networks
Country: Germany
Source report: maritime-executive.com/article/g…
