EU seeks to boost powers to board Russian shadow fleet vessels, document says
Source: Politico (EU)
October 19, 2025 12:24 pm CET
The EU is seeking to boost the bloc's powers to board vessels in Russia's shadow fleet for inspections, according to a document prepared for Monday's meeting of EU foreign ministers and seen by POLITICO.
The issue of ships transporting Russian oil sailing under different flags to escape EU sanctions has wide implications for the bloc as those vessels not only help to boost Moscow's war economy but also "pose threats to the environment and to navigation safety," according to the five-page document prepared by the European External Action Service, the EU diplomatic arm.
The shadow fleet ships also are a risk for critical infrastructure and "can be used as platforms for hybrid attacks against EU territory," the document states. The vessels are in some cases suspected to be launch pads for Russian drones used to reconnoiter critical Western sites and disrupt civilian airports.
The EEAS this month initiated a discussion at the technical level on the basis of a draft declaration of the EU and its member states on reinforcing the International Law of the Sea framework, according to the EEAS document. That effort "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 says.
Read more: https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-seeks-boost-powers-to-board-shadow-fleet-vessels-exclusive-document-sanctions-war/