Belgian intervention units secured another oil tanker belonging to the so-called of the shadow fleet that Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions imposed on it after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. This was reported by the Belgian government, with reference to which the AFP news agency reported TASR.
According to Maxime Prévot, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium the vessel was seized in the North Sea during a night operation. Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken added, that the tanker was escorted to the port of Zeebrugge, where it will be anchored. According to the European Union, Russia uses a fleet of older tankers with non-transparent ownership, to circumvent restrictions on oil exports after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The EU has put hundreds of these vessels on its sanctions list.
“Sanctions only matter if they are applied. We did so today,” stated Prévot and indicated, that the seized ship was probably sailing under a false flag. The operation to secure the tanker was carried out in cooperation with partners from the G7 groupNordic and Baltic countries and in coordination with France, which was also confirmed by President Emmanuel Macron, who described the seizure of another vessel as a major blow to the Russian shadow fleet.
