EU Inspects Sanctioned Tanker as It Increases Pressure on Shadow Fleet
The European Union is taking further steps to increase pressure on the shadow fleet targeting vessels it believes are operating under a false flag, but unlike individual nations, it is following a “stop and release” strategy. The peacekeeping force in the Mediterranean, Operation EUNAVFOR MED IRINI, stopped another vessel this week, and the EU reports it is empowering its Operation Atalanta, covering the Western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, to also begin flag verification inspections.
A Turkish-owned product tanker, South Star (39,817 dwt), was the latest target stopped in the Western Mediterranean on Monday, July 20, reports IRINI. The vessel appears to be shuttling Russian products from the Black Sea to North Africa and was sanctioned under a previous name in 2025 by the UK and EU for its involvement in illegal ship-to-ship transfers.
IRINI reports the ship was stopped because it was suspected of operating under a false flag. The databases list the ship as operating under the flag of Cameroon, which was listed as false, while Equasis says that as of June, the ship moved its registry to Equatorial Guinea.
Naval forces assigned to IRINI intercepted and boarded the tanker. IRINI reports that under its mandate, it was assigned as of March the “right of visit for flag verification” operating under Article 110 of the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). The forces board the vessel, inspect its documents, and collect “relevant information” for assessment and reporting to the EU authorities.
The South Star was permitted to proceed after the boarding. Its AIS signal shows it docked at Rades, Tunisia, on July 22.
EU forces boarding the South Star as part of the ongoing flag verification efforts (IRINI)
It is the fourth case IRINI has reported. It started on May 11 by stopping Nelsa (156,760 dwt), managed from Azerbaijan and registered in Cameroon. This vessel was also sanctioned in December 2024 by the UK while under a prior name and by the EU in May 2025. IRINI on June 1 inspected the EU-sanctioned tanker Oneiroi (105,585 dwt), also claiming to be registered in Cameroon, and on June 7 the EU-sanctioned tanker Sandhya (37,159 dwt), also registered in Cameroon. (As of July 1, this vessel changed its name to Vychegda, under the Russian flag.)
“We are matching our sanctions with action at sea,” announced Kaja Kallas, the Vice President of the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. She reported the expansion of the verification mission to Atalanta saying, “This decision further tightens the net.”
Since the actions, however, so far are stopping already sanctioned vessels, it is only adding data to a known situation. Unlike France, Sweden, Belgium, the UK, and others, the vessels are not being seized or directed into port.
IRINI was launched in March 2020 with a mission to counter illegal arms trafficking around Libya, gathering information on oil smuggling, disrupting human smuggling, and supporting search and rescue operations aimed at supporting peace and stability in Libya. IRINI’s mission was recently extended until March 31, 2027.
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In a status report, IRINI highlighted that during June, it investigated 434 merchant vessels in the Mediterranean with radio calls, while conducting two flag verification boardings and three other ship visits with the consent of the master. It monitored activity in 16 ports as well as 60 suspected flights and 25 airports. Since it was launched six years ago, IRINI has seized three vessels for violations of the UN arms embargo and inspected a total of 33 vessels. It has hailed via radio over 24,000 vessels, and visited over 800 with the consent of the master.
Atalanta was started by the EU in response to the attacks by Somali pirates. It continues to monitor and issue alerts on the pirates as well as respond to incidents in international waters. According to Kallas, it will also begin flag verifications on merchant vessels operating in its area of responsibility.
