A Russian military vessel accompanied the 'shadow fleet' ships across the English Channel on Wednesday, LETA reports, citing Meduza and 'The Daily Telegraph', noting that Russian authorities are openly ignoring the threats from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to detain 'shadow fleet' oil tankers in British waters.
According to 'The Daily Telegraph', the tankers 'Universal' and 'Enigma' were accompanied through the strait by the frigate of the Russian Black Sea Fleet 'Admiral Grigorovich'. Following them was the British vessel 'Tideforce'.
The 'shadow fleet' vessels, accompanied by the Russian frigate, were heading west across the English Channel.
On Wednesday, two more tankers from the 'shadow fleet' passed through the strait in the opposite direction, the publication reports.
The newspaper notes that since the end of March, when Starmer announced his intention to detain such vessels in British waters, no 'shadow fleet' tanker has been stopped. At the same time, France has detained several such vessels in its waters.
On March 25, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom announced that he had granted the naval forces permission to stop and inspect Russian oil tankers in British waters. Following the detention of a vessel, criminal proceedings may be initiated against its owners, operators, and crew for violating UK sanctions legislation.
Russia began using the 'shadow fleet' after the G7 countries imposed a price cap on Russian oil to limit revenues financing Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The restrictions are implemented through a ban on insurance and shipping companies servicing oil cargoes priced above the established limit.
The fleet consists of outdated tankers, whose owners and insurers are located in countries that do not comply with the price caps. The age of the vessels and the lack of Western insurance raise safety concerns, particularly regarding the risk of oil spills and who will cover the cleanup costs.
In March, global oil prices surged sharply following the start of the US and Israel's war against Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's oil supplies pass. The price increase significantly boosted the Russian budget's revenues from oil exports.
