The European Commission has proposed an amendment to Annex I of the Directive on maritime traffic monitoring (2002/59/EC), which would require all vessels — including those merely transiting through EU waters without entering a European port — to provide proof of insurance.
According to a statement from the Commission, “this amendment strengthens the monitoring of uninsured or unsafe vessels, supports safety and environmental objectives, and aligns EU rules with global standards in a context of growing threats from hazardous cargo and geopolitical instability.”
By the end of last year, the number of vessels affected by EU sanctions had exceeded 1,000, and data from S&P Global Market Intelligence showed that over 800 of those lacked confirmed insurance coverage. Furthermore, the average age of the sanctioned vessels (21 years) is about eight years older than the global average, raising concerns about their potential to cause environmental disasters.
This measure joins others adopted by various European countries to try to control vessels from the so-called Russian “shadow fleet.”
Since February, the Danish Maritime Authority has been conducting port state controls on high-risk tankers anchoring off Skagen, at the northern tip of the country — a frequently used anchorage area.
Also this year, the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) activated an advanced response system led by the United Kingdom to track potential threats to underwater infrastructure and monitor vessels belonging to the “shadow fleet.” The JEF is a UK-led multinational military partnership. In the same vein, the naval operation known as Nordic Warden uses AI to analyze data from various sources — including the Automatic Identification System (AIS), which ships use to broadcast their positions — in order to assess the risk of each vessel entering areas of interest.
In early April, Estonian authorities detained an 18-year-old oil tanker for flying a false flag, marking the first time a Baltic coastal state has taken such action against the “shadow fleet.”
