Unwanted and worn-out ships carrying Russian oil use the anchorage at Skagen Red to refuel with oil and food and to change crew members, but will now be subject to control. The Danish Maritime Authority will inspect and investigate older tankers that are at the anchorage and pose an environmental risk. This is stated in a press release on Wednesday.
- Port State control focuses on tankers, as an accident with damage or sinking of tankers could have particularly far-reaching consequences for safety, health and the environment, it says.
According to Danwatch and Information, which have followed the case closely, it is specifically ships from the Russian shadow fleet that are the target of the controls. This is the first time that Denmark has taken any active action against the activities of the shadow fleet.
Every day, disused tankers sail through Danish waters carrying oil worth hundreds of millions of kroner, because the route from Russia passes through Danish waters.
Attractive pit stop
On the route, Skagen is one of the only places in the entire West where ships can drop anchor and be subject to port state control. Over the past two years, the anchorage at Skagen has become an attractive pit stop for new supplies, minor repairs and more.
Due to its location and good conditions, Skagen is typically the last place where ships drop anchor to receive fuel or supplies. It is a protected anchorage where ships can drop anchor and lie sheltered from wind and waves, unlike other places on the route.
Some ships are sanctioned, but the majority are not, and therefore Danish companies do not break the law by operating them, even though exports help finance Russia's war against Ukraine. Experience has shown that tankers are being kept under special surveillance.
- Tankers have a particularly high risk profile, which means that this type of ship is prioritized for inspection to a higher degree than other types of ships, it says.
Port State control will not be used to investigate whether the ship is involved in a violation of sanctions. Instead, they will check whether a ship complies with international conventions for safety, health and the environment.
Danish Maritime Pilots: Super good
Chairman of Danish Maritime Pilots Lars Sigvardt calls the initiative "super good" and hopes that it will have a preventive effect.
- It shows that there is a targeted effort, and that they are looking for every lever to pull. It is the only place in the Western sphere that we can catch these ships, he tells Danwatch and Information.
The checks are good for stemming potential environmental disasters, but not for stopping the shadow fleet from evading sanctions, according to Kristina Siig, a professor of maritime law at the University of Southern Denmark.
- If we want to ensure that ships that are stationary in territorial waters are not ten seconds away from leaking oil into the sea, then it is a good tool. But if we want to enforce sanctions against Russian oil, it is a bad tool, she tells the media.
/ritzau/
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