Sweden has introduced new regulations increasing inspections on foreign vessels in the Baltic Sea starting 1 July, enhancing efforts to combat Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers used to bypass sanctions on its oil trade.
Since the imposition of Western-led sanctions following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has been utilizing numerous ships that operate under ambiguous ownership and questionable insurance.
European governments often accuse these vessels of causing damage to undersea cables, whether intentionally or not, and of presenting a threat to maritime environmental safety.
The Swedish government stated that the new regulations “enhance inspections on foreign vessels by mandating the submission of insurance information”.
The Swedish coast guard and maritime authorities will focus on examining insurance details not just for ships arriving at Swedish ports, “but also for those traversing Swedish territorial waters or its exclusive economic zone,” which extends approximately 200 nautical miles offshore.
With Sweden and Finland both recently becoming NATO members, there is heightened vigilance regarding incidents in the Baltic Sea affecting energy and communication infrastructure, especially after several damage incidents reported in late 2024.
“We are observing an increasing number of troubling events in the Baltic Sea, which necessitates … our readiness for the worst,” stated Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
He noted that data collected under the new regulations regarding vessels would be shared with allies and could be integrated into databases used for enforcing sanctions.
Last week, the European Union implemented a 17th sanctions package against Russia targeting nearly 200 vessels within the “shadow fleet”.
