Denmark wants to block passage of tankers carrying Russian oil

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen has said that Denmark is considering ways to limit the so-called shadow fleet of tankers carrying Russian oil through the Baltic Sea.

Denmark is concerned that old tankers carrying oil through its straits pose a potential danger to the environment, Kommersant reports.

In an effort to find a solution to the problem, Denmark has assembled a group of European Union (EU) allies with whom it is evaluating possible measures.

"There is a broad consensus that the shadow fleet is an international problem and that international solutions are needed. It is important that any new measures can be put into practice and that they are legally justified under international law," Lars Løkke Rasmussen explained to Reuters.

The agency writes that Russia sends about a third of its offshore oil exports, or 1.5% of global supplies, through the Danish straits and the Baltic Sea. Any attempt to stop these shipments could drive up oil prices and "hit the Kremlin's finances," according to Reuters.

The Financial Times reported in November 2023 that the EU would instruct Denmark to inspect and possibly block Russian oil tankers transiting its waters. These were tankers transiting the Danish straits without Western insurance. Its absence, as a matter of law, allows EU countries to inspect ships that may pose a threat to the environment. The Kremlin responded by calling on Denmark to comply with the rules of international shipping.