The UK is reportedly in discussions with European allies about plans to seize oil tankers suspected of circumventing sanctions as part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet". Defence SecretaryJohn Healeymet with his counterparts from Baltic and Nordic nations to discuss operational and legal methods of seizing the vessels in a bid to increase pressure onRussia's war economy. The meetings are said to have taken place on the sidelines of this week'sMunich Security Conferenceas part of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a group of 10 nations committed to defending the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea.
Hanno Pevkur, defence minister for Estonia, said the "atmosphere and understanding" of the talks was one of a need for proactivity. "The message is that the countries that give flags to the shadow fleet vessels need to know that there are measures that can be taken by other countries," he told Bloomberg.
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The proposed measures could mimic the US's operation targeting oil tankerstransporting cargoes to and from Venezuela, reports suggest, some of which had suspected links toRussia.
UK Chief of the Defence Staff Richard Knighton was also reportedly in attendance at the meetings to present possible courses of action, including coordinated vessel seizures.
The Russian shadow fleet is thought to comprise around 1,500 tankers operating under false flags, suspected of dodging regulatory oversight.
It comes after the EU's executive arm proposed further sanctions against Russia earlier this month, on top of the 19 packages already approved, including further targeting of the dozens of ships transporting oil in the shadow fleet.
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Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
