Published on December 28, 2024 at 4:09 p.m. / Modified on December 28, 2024 at 5:26 p.m.
3 mins. reading
What connection could there be between the oil slicks currently spilling onto Russian and Ukrainian beaches in the Black Sea and an underwater electricity cable cut in the Baltic on Christmas Day? If the suspicions of the Finnish coast guard are confirmed, these two incidents which occurred at both ends of the European continent could well be the work of ships belonging to what is commonly called the Russian “ghost fleet”. A term which essentially designates oil tankers, often very dilapidated and registered under a flag of convenience, which allow Moscow to circumvent sanctions on the sale of its hydrocarbons. And against which Brussels and Washington regularly threaten to crack down, without much result so far.
Thus, around ten days ago, two river tankers, the Volgoneft and the Volgograd, loaded to the brim with fuel intended for the Russian army in Ukraine, sank following a storm in the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, causing an unprecedented oil spill on the shores of these two closed seas. The two vessels, which were not suitable for maritime navigation, especially in heavy weather, had been manufactured in 1969 and 1973 respectively; according to kyiv, they were part of the Russian ghost fleet.
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