What is Russia's shadow fleet? How do these vessels operate?

(Agence France-Presse, Paris, 26th) France recently intercepted a tanker suspected to belong to Russia's "shadow fleet," once again drawing attention to such vessels. Below is a summary compiled by AFP regarding the operational methods of shadow fleet vessels allegedly aimed at evading Western sanctions, countermeasures from Europe and the United States, and Russia's response. ● What is the shadow fleet? Reports indicate that Russia has established a fleet composed of old tankers with opaque ownership to evade sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United States, and the Group of Seven (G7) due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. These sanctions are based on setting a price cap on Russian crude oil, thereby limiting the revenue available to Moscow for war. This has made it difficult for many tankers carrying Russian oil to obtain Western insurance and shipping services. The EU has listed 598 vessels banned from docking at European ports and using maritime services; the United States has also listed 183 such vessels and claims the right to take action against them abroad. ● How does the shadow fleet operate? According to experts and a briefing from the European Parliament, the shadow fleet conceals vessel ownership, ensures that the companies managing the vessels are based outside of Russia, and flies flags of convenience or even false flags. Additionally, it has been observed that these vessels turn off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) to become "invisible" at sea for ship-to-ship transfers of Russian oil. Many of these vessels are quite old, meaning that if they are seized or confiscated due to oil spills, the losses incurred by the owners are limited. The Kyiv School of Economics, which operates the "Russian Oil Tracker" project, points out that "the three most commonly used flags by Russian shadow fleet vessels carrying crude oil are flags of convenience/unknown flags, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon." According to the Kyiv School of Economics, the management companies of these vessels are located in the United Arab Emirates, Seychelles, Mauritius, the Marshall Islands, and other places. The Kyiv School of Economics also states, "India remains the largest importer of Russian maritime crude oil, accounting for 40% of Russia's total exports." ● What countermeasures are being taken by various countries? The United States strengthened sanctions against the Russian oil industry, including the shadow fleet, earlier this month. On the 7th of this month, the U.S. military seized a tanker flying the Russian flag in the North Atlantic, with the White House stating that the vessel was "deemed stateless due to flying a false flag." According to a European Union foreign policy document seen by POLITICO last October, the EU is considering expanding its powers to inspect Russian shadow fleet vessels. On the 22nd, the French Navy inspected a tanker suspected to belong to the Russian shadow fleet in the Mediterranean, with the UK providing tracking and monitoring support for the French interception operation. ● How did Russia respond? When France seized a vessel named "Boracay," allegedly flying the flag of Benin and linked to Russia, at the end of September last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the action as "piracy." After the United States seized the aforementioned oil tanker earlier this month, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that such actions could "lead to further escalation of military and political tensions" and expressed concern that "Washington intends to create a severe international crisis situation."