Sweden will intensify insurance checks on foreign ships as concerns about the rise in Russia
Stockholm (AP) – Sweden said on Saturday that it would intensify insurance checks on foreign ships in a movement aimed at tightening controls on the so -called Russia “Shadow fleet “Aging ships.
The government of Stockholm said that, from July 1, the Swedish Coastal Guard and Maritime Guard will be responsible for collecting information on insurance not only of ships which call in Swedish ports, but also those which cross the country's territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone.
“This underlines the clear presence of Sweden in the Baltic Sea, which in itself has a deterrent effect,” said Prime Minister Ulf Krister in a statement. “It also provides Sweden and our allies important information on ships that can be used as a basis for sanctions lists of more ships in the shadow fleet.”
Russia uses its fleet of shadows to transport oil and gas, or to transport stolen Ukrainian grains. The European Union has now targeted nearly 350 of ships in total in sanctions packages, more recently May 20.
Kristersson said that “we see increasingly problematic events in the Baltic Sea and that forces us not only to hope for the best, but also to plan the worst.”
The average age of ships is around 18 years old, which means that they are towards the end of their lifespan and are more vulnerable to accidents, especially if they are not well maintained.
