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The EU plans to impose sanctions on three companies that have provided false flags to tankers of the Russian shadow fleet, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing documents it has reviewed.
The companies have provided false flags of Aruba, Curacao, and Sint-Maarten to at least eight tankers sanctioned by the EU, according to the documents.
The potential sanctions against the entities enabling the shadow fleet are part of the European Union’s 19th sanctions package, which the EU member states are currently discussing.
Earlier this year, the Netherlands warned the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that companies were providing “fraudulent certificates” on behalf of Sint Maarten, Bloomberg notes.
The sanctions on the suppliers of false flags would come into effect when the EU adopts the whole sanction package, which needs unanimous approval from all 27 member states.
The European Commission’s proposed sanctions package also accelerates the timeline for phasing out Russian LNG imports into the bloc—from the end of 2027 to January 1, 2027, one year earlier than planned.
The sanctions package also removes all remaining exemptions on Russian oil producers Rosneft and Gazprom Neft, and expands sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet and its enablers, including on 118 new vessels.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said upon proposing the new sanctions package that “Russia’s war economy is sustained by revenues from fossil fuels. We want to cut these revenues.”
“It is time to turn off the tap. We are prepared for this. We have been saving energy, diversifying supplies and investing in low-carbon sources of energy like never before,” von der Leyen added.
While the EU debates the sanctions package, some individual member states are tightening controls and inspections to intercept shadow fleet vessels.
Denmark on Monday said it is intensifying inspections on oil tankers passing through its waters, which are the gateway to and from the Baltic Sea, in a move to counter Russia’s shadow fleet movements.
