Overview
- On January 10, the Bundespolizei denied the tanker Tavian entry near Flensburg after confirming a false flag and forged identification, prompting the vessel to leave the Baltic Sea.
- Tavian, labeled by officials as a shadow‑fleet tanker, has been on a U.S. sanctions list since 2021.
- German agencies have also repeatedly refused entry to the research vessel Akademik Boris Petrov and boarded the tanker Chariot Tide after it anchored near an undersea cable and switched flags under monitoring.
- Jurists argue ships lacking a valid flag cannot claim innocent passage under maritime law, a rationale the United States has also used in actions against similar tankers.
- Lawmakers are pressing for tougher measures as the roughly 500‑ship shadow fleet moves Russian oil worth billions monthly, with security sources reporting fewer nearby Russian naval escorts.