Already 17 percent of the world’s oil tankers belong to the Russian shadow fleet.
The criminal investigation of the Eagle S ship by the authorities is still ongoing, and at the same time, the connection of the ship’s operations to Russia.
Senior researcher at the Atlantic Council, a US research institute Elisabeth Braw has investigated the Russian shadow fleet. He says For The New York Timesthat the sheer size of the shadow fleet can be an irresistible temptation for Russia to also use it for sabotage.
– I think that Russia at some point realized that it could use some of its shadow ships to cause a little more trouble to others, says Braw.
Russia’s shadow navy is a result of sanctions targeting its energy sector. Oil is the cornerstone of the Russian economy.
The shadow fleet is not a Russian invention to circumvent sanctions, but the method has also been used by Iran, North Korea and drug cartels, among others.
What makes the Russian shadow fleet exceptional is its size. Already 17 percent of the world’s oil tankers belong to the Russian shadow fleet.
– It’s like cancer. When it was small it would be manageable, but now it’s less manageable and its size just keeps getting bigger, Elisabeth Braw.
Almost 70 percent of Russian oil currently travels in tankers belonging to the shadow fleet, he stated of the Kyiv Institute of Economics in the report published in October.