Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers is thought to transport over 60% of its crude supply via illegal trading routes.
13:35, Mon, Mar 2, 2026 Updated: 13:39, Mon, Mar 2, 2026
The vessel was seized by Belgium and French forces on Sunday (Image: Belga/AFP via Getty Images)
NATO forces have seized an oil tanker suspected of being part of a Russian "shadow fleet" attempting to evade Western sanctions. The vessel was seized by Belgium as part of a joint operation with the French navy on Sunday after it was spotted sailing in the North Sea with a "false flag and false documents". The tanker, named Ethera, which is on UK, US and European Union (EU) sanctions lists, was escorted to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge before it was seized.
Belgian Defence minister Theo Francken said: "Without his shadow fleet [Putin] can't wage war against innocent Ukrainians. So we take these vessels out. One by one. Until his war of aggression stops." French president Emmanuel Macron described the seizure as a "major blow" to Russia's sanction evasion operation. "Europeans are determined to cut off the sources of funding for Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine by enforcing sanctions," he added.
Moscow has used an opaque network of unregulated ships sailing under false flags to circumvent Western sanctions since its illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The fleet, which numbers up to 800 vessels, carries cargo worth millions through global shipping lanes each month, with over 60% of Russian crude oil thought to be moved via the illicit trading routes.
Security experts have warned that escalating tensions linked to sanction evasion could culminate in a "militarised confrontation at sea" between Russia and NATO allies.
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Russia became the most sanctioned country in the world in 2022, subject to over thousands of individual measures including banking restrictions, export controls and energy sector limitations.
The UK announced a new sanction package, including on oil exports and suppliers of military equipment, this year, in a bid to further cripple Moscow's economy amid ongoing stagnation.
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The US has seized seven tankers since last year, including one in the Indian Ocean last month, with France also boarding one in the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, the UK's approach to "shadow fleet" vessels in the English Channel has primarily focused on insurance checks, with over 600 ships challenged for proof of insurance since 2024.
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