EU Naval Mission Boards Russia-Linked 'Shadow Fleet' Tanker in Mediterranean

An EU naval mission boarded the Russia-linked oil tanker MV SUN in the Mediterranean on Sunday to carry out a flag verification, following suspicions the vessel was sailing under a false flag, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced Monday on social media platform X.

According to Kallas, personnel from Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI conducted the boarding. She noted that the MV SUN is the sixth suspected 'shadow fleet' vessel boarded by EU operations in recent months. The term 'shadow fleet' refers to ships with opaque ownership structures used to circumvent Western sanctions imposed on Russia.

Kallas said EU defense ministers are set to meet in Ireland on Tuesday, where they plan to discuss further measures against the shadow fleet.

New confiscation mechanism

In July, the EU adopted a mechanism allowing member states to confiscate and sell Russian oil transported aboard shadow fleet vessels attempting to evade the bloc's sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed this month to retaliate if European countries move forward with plans to seize Russian commercial vessels. Putin previously said Russia's Defense Ministry had been instructed to prepare a response, and he has described earlier interceptions of Russia-linked ships as 'piracy.'

EUNAVFOR MED IRINI was launched in 2020 to enforce a UN arms embargo on Libya. EU governments have since expanded the mission's mandate to include verification boardings of vessels. The EU has so far sanctioned roughly 600 ships suspected of belonging to Russia's shadow fleet network.