Category
Latest news

Sweden Cracks Down on Russian Shadow Fleet With New Maritime Insurance Checks

2 min read
Authors
Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
Author
Sweden Cracks Down on Russian Shadow Fleet With New Maritime Insurance Checks
The detained Eagle S tanker, which damaged undersea cables in the Baltic Sea last month, off the coast of Porvoo, Finland, on January 9, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

Sweden announced that it will begin tightening checks on the insurance status of foreign ships passing through its waters, in a move aimed at cracking down on Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of aging, poorly maintained vessels used to circumvent international sanctions, Associated Press reported on May 31.

Beginning July 1, the Swedish Coast Guard and the Swedish Maritime Administration will start collecting insurance data not only from ships docking in Swedish ports but also from those transiting through the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea.

“This underlines Sweden’s clear presence in the Baltic Sea, which in itself has a deterrent effect,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a statement.

“It also provides Sweden and our allies with important information about vessels that can be used as a basis for sanctions listings of more vessels in the shadow fleet.”

Swedish authorities say the increased scrutiny is intended to disrupt operations involving vessels with unclear ownership, no proper insurance, and ties to sanctions evasion—many of which are part of Russia’s covert maritime network.

“We believe this measure should have a preventive deterrent effect on ships that are part of the Russian shadow fleet,” said Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer. “It will also serve as a foundation for further actions.”

The Swedish Ministry of Justice emphasized that tighter monitoring will play a key role in countering the presence of outdated and potentially unsafe ships often involved in circumventing Western sanctions.

The move comes amid growing concern over Russian activities in the Baltic region.

Earlier, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen recently stated that Russia has begun escorting oil tankers with warships in the Gulf of Finland.

See all