Finland takes on Putin’s shadow fleet

The Finnish government adopts new measures to strengthen and improve maritime security in response to the Russian fleet. 

This is what it stated in a press release: “The government has adopted a new regulation that strengthens the control of foreign vessels by requiring information about their insurance.” In addition, it “aims to combat this shadow fleet and, in doing so, to improve maritime safety and environmental protection”. 

Why the 'shadow' fleet?

The Russian shadow fleet refers to clandestine ships that are almost untraceable, or at least very difficult to trace, and operate without insurance. Moscow uses these vessels to bypass Western sanctions and thus continue to illegally export its oil. Europeans regularly accuse this fleet of damaging underwater cables. 

(MH with Manon Pierre - Source: 20 Minutes - Illustration: ©Unsplash)