Russia's Shadow Fleet Thumbs its Nose at the Royal Navy
The Russian Navy has mocked Britain’s Royal Navy by escorting two sanctioned, fully-laden shadow fleet tankers though the English Channel. This comes notwithstanding the completion of a drawn-out legal review which confirmed that existing British legislation provides sufficient cause to interdict shadow fleet tankers.
The shadow fleet tankers were the Cameroon-flagged Enigma (IMO 9333412), which loaded at Ust Luga on March 21, and is sanctioned by OFAC, the EU and the UK. The second was the Russian-flagged Universal (IMO 9384306), ex-Vysotsk and also sanctioned by OFAC, the EU and the UK. Both were escorted through the channel without incident by the first-in-class frigate Admiral Grigorovich (F494).
Likely in the absence of any available Royal Navy ship, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker RFA Tideforce (A139) saw the Russian convoy through the channel.
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While Nordic nations are making interceptions in the Baltic and the United States has made interceptions of Venezuela and Cuban-associated shipping, shadow fleet tankers are still not being intercepted elsewhere - notably, not in the Straits of Malacca or Hormuz.
Top image: VesselFinder / Jensen
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