Russia-bound Maritime Traffic Across the Baltic Sea
16 December 2025 09:28
The Swedish Coast Guard's report is primarily focuses on the shadow fleet transporting cargoes from Russian oil terminals on the Gulf of Finland across the Baltic Sea and adjacent maritime areas such as the Sound, Great Belt and North Sea.
The Swedish Coast Guard's brief report is published in order to increase awareness and knowledge about the Russian shadow fleet. The report is descriptive and largely based on knowledge obtained from open sources, as well as the Swedish Coast Guard’s own operations.
The report covers the following topics:
- What does shadow fleet mean?
- Maritime safety standards
- Crew conditions
- Insuring merchant vessels
- Flag states and ship registers
The vessels in the Russian shadow fleet are used to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia by transporting fossil fuels and, given their generally poor condition and lack of insurance, they pose a major environmental risk. There are considerable concerns about their crews working conditions and ability to deal with any navigational challenges, including blackouts and frequent disruptions to technical navigation equipment.
Changed 23 December 2025 12:58