Oil tankers traveling in waters around Norway will now be forced to show insurance information.
The term shadow fleet is used for a number of tankers that Russia uses to circumvent international sanctions. The vessels are usually outdated and circumvent rules, among other things, by having complicated ownership structures and sailing with so-called flags of convenience. They are typically not insured by ordinary Western companies.
"The government takes seriously the challenges associated with the shadow fleet. This type of traffic poses an increased risk to both the environment and safety at sea, while contributing to financing Russia's illegal warfare," says Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Marianne Sivertsen Næss (Ap) in a press release.
The country's coastal and maritime authorities will now collect and check the insurance information.
Sweden introduced similar rules at mid-year. They mean that the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration can collect insurance information from vessels, not only when they enter a port but also when they pass through Swedish sea territory or economic zone.
In recent years, the EU, the US, and several Western countries have introduced increasingly heavy sanctions against Russia due to the Russian invasion war in Ukraine. Russia has then launched the shadow fleet, consisting of at least a thousand vessels, to circumvent the sanctions and get oil revenues to its war economy.
