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On July 1, German authorities announced they will tighten inspections of oil tankers passing through the country’s territorial waters, focusing on those transiting the Fehmarn Belt strait between Germany and Denmark. Vessels heading east will now be required to present valid insurance documentation.
The move mirrors similar steps by Sweden, which began requiring insurance checks for foreign ships entering its territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) starting this month. According to the German Foreign Ministry, any violations may lead to “Europe-wide monitoring, action by the flag state, and — if further criteria are met — a listing of the ships for sanctions.”
A significant portion of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” consists of aging vessels that are either insured by questionable firms or not insured at all. This sharply increases the risk of accidents of the sort that often lead to oil products leaking into the surrounding environment. The Insider previously reported on a Russian national whose company in Norway was issuing fake certificates to tankers transporting Russian oil.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the measures will help improve regional coordination while ramping up pressure on Moscow’s vessels transiting the Baltic Sea:
“Our goal is very clear: We are increasing the pressure on the Russian shadow fleet and protecting the Baltic Sea habitat.”
Sweden previously announced similar insurance checks for foreign vessels, set to begin on July 1. Authorities said they would require documentation not only from ships entering Swedish ports, but also from those passing through the country’s territorial waters and EEZ. The EEZ extends up to 370 kilometers (approximately 230 miles) from the coast, while territorial waters typically span up to 22 kilometers (13.6 miles). The Fehmarn Belt — a strait roughly 18 kilometers wide (just over 11 miles) wide — falls within German territorial waters.