The EU is taking further action against the ships in the shadow fleet: In future, inspections could be carried out on board if there is any suspicion.
The European Union wants to further strengthen its measures against the Russian shadow fleet. The most aggressive step so far is to authorize member states to carry out inspections on ships suspected of violating sanctions or endangering maritime safety.
According to a draft available to Reuters, the move is based on efforts by Germany, France and Estonia as well as other member states that have already detained suspicious ships – including the tanker “Eventin”, which was seized by Germany in March 2025.
The European External Action Service (EEAS) will present a draft position paper to its members; the declaration is to be finalized by the end of November. The reasons given for the inspections are primarily environmental and security risks as well as the revenue for the Russian energy industry despite sanctions. The member states also pointed to the potential of the tankers for hybrid warfare, with reference to the drones recently spotted over Germany and Denmark.
The EU has reportedly already begun negotiations with flag states to conclude bilateral agreements granting additional powers to inspect suspicious vessels. In the spring, the EU authorized states to require proof of insurance from ships passing through its zones, and several states have independently announced that they will inspect tankers. Germany has been carrying out such inspections since July.
French President Emmanuel Macron had called on the EU to take a more aggressive approach, referring to the detention of the tanker “Boracay” by France. He said that even a delay of a few hours would have a lasting impact on the operation of the ships. France stopped the tanker on suspicion of operating under a false flag and detained it for several days in October.
