Around 70 of these “ghost” tankers, each carrying more than 100,000 tonnes of crude, sail in the Gulf of Finland every week after loading in different Russian ports including that of Saint Petersburg. The use of old ships in poor condition increases the risk of technical failure that could endanger the fragile ecosystems of the Baltic.
“Another factor of concern is the uncertainty over the owners and insurance guarantees of these vessels,” adds Mikko Simola, the head of the maritime safety service of the Finnish border guard. Finnish border guards have strengthened their surveillance of the area and are ready to intervene with the support of other neighboring countries such as Estonia and Sweden, he indicates. The number of tanker crossings in the area “is approximately the same or even greater than before the Russian attack on Ukraine’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,’ says the border guard, noting that flags such as those of Cameroon, Gabon, Djibouti, Palau and Belize have never been seen before in the northern Baltic.