The European Union is preparing its most aggressive move yet against Russia’s shadow tanker fleet, with plans to give member states the power to board and inspect vessels suspected of breaching sanctions or threatening maritime safety.
A draft declaration from the European External Action Service (EEAS), seen by Politico and Reuters, proposes “pre-authorised boardings” in cooperation with the flag states of ships carrying Russian oil under disguise.
EU foreign ministers are expected to debate the proposal at their meeting today, with a final declaration likely to be adopted by the end of November.
The move marks a sharp escalation in Europe’s enforcement efforts against the shadow fleet — a loose network of up to 1,000 ageing tankers operating under obscure ownership and often sailing under flags of convenience. According to the EEAS, the fleet now accounts for roughly 17% of the global tanker pool and has expanded by around 45% since 2023, as Moscow scrambled to keep oil exports flowing despite G7 price caps and EU embargoes.
Beyond sanctions evasion, Brussels is increasingly framing the issue as one of security and environmental risk. Officials warn that many of the vessels are substandard, uninsured, and operating without proper oversight, posing threats to both coastal waters and NATO infrastructure. Ukrainian intelligence has gone further, suggesting some of the ships have been used as launch platforms for drones and hybrid attacks across Europe.
The EU’s forthcoming 19th sanctions package will add about 160 vessels to its blacklist, taking the total to around 560, and is also expected to accelerate the bloc’s ban on Russian LNG imports to January 1, 2027.
The EEAS paper highlighted a “renewed momentum” among member states for tougher action, citing France’s recent detention of the Boracay, Estonia’s move against the Kiwala, and similar actions by Germany and Finland.
The proposal also calls for joint operations with major flag states, including Panama, which recently pledged to deregister sanctioned ships and halt registrations of tankers older than 15 years.
French president Emmanuel Macron, speaking at a European security conference in Copenhagen earlier this month, said: “A very significant share of Russia’s war financing comes from these shadow fleet tankers. Cutting them off is not an option, it is a necessity,” he said. Macron asserted that between “30 to 40 %” of Russia’s war effort is financed via operations of the shadow fleet.
Last week, the UK government launched its strongest sanctions offensive to date against Russia’s energy sector, directly targeting oil majors Rosneft and Lukoil, four Chinese oil terminals, and 44 tankers from Moscow’s shadow fleet as well as seven LNG carriers.
Over the past five years, the number of sanctioned vessels worldwide has expanded steadily, rising from around 350 in September 2020 to roughly 1,700 by September 2025, according to analysis from maritime analytics firm Kpler. The overlap between various administrations sanctioning ships is also finally starting to grow with greater coordination between the UK and the EU, especially noticeable.
