The European Union is seeking greater powers that would allow it to board vessels belonging to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, which supplies oil to potential buyers via maritime routes.
While Western nations have imposed a price cap on Russian oil, Moscow has been able to circumvent these restrictions by using its shadow fleet to transport barrels of oil around the world.
According to documents seen by Politico, which will be presented on Monday during a meeting of EU foreign ministers, the Russian shadow fleet poses both environmental and navigational risks.
However, officials also warn that vessels in this fleet could be used as platforms to carry out hybrid warfare operations against Western countries.
The proposal “would provide an additional tool to member states to boost the effectiveness of enforcement actions, including providing a basis to board shadow fleet ships,” the document states.
The draft plan would give EU countries the legal authority to board and inspect these vessels.
