EU Forces Stop Sixth Tanker in the Mediterranean for Inspection
The European Union on Sunday, August 30, stopped a sixth tanker suspected of operating under a false flag for the shadow fleet serving the Russian oil industry. Forces from the Italian patrol boat ITS Paolo Thaon di Revel were seen boarding the vessel from helicopters and launches to conduct the inspection.
Kaja Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, reported the boarding, saying it was a “flag verification.” She highlighted it was the sixth tanker that EUNAVFOR IRINI has stopped for verification since its mandate was extended earlier this year.
The tanker is operating under the name Sun and reported registry in Cameroon, established in 2026, after being listed in 2025 as having been sailing under false flags from Timor-Leste and Benin, according to details in the Equasis database. The crude oil tanker, which is 159,186 dwt and built in 2005, is listed as being owned and managed from Turkey. It is in the Russian class.
Troops boarding the tanker for the inspection
The ship was showing on its AIS that it was coming from Novorossiysk, Russia, but based on the pictures, it is sailing with ballast. It says it was heading toward Denmark and waiting for orders. The tanker is already operating under sanctions from the EU and UK. The tanker was inspected in July at Novorossiysk, and it listed deficiencies with availability of firefighting equipment, buoys, and alarms, without a detention.
Operation Irini, which was originally established in 2020 under a UN mandate to enforce an arms embargo on Libya in the Mediterranean, reports that since March it has the expanded “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.
Italian frigate was involved in two inspections during August
The European Union has sanctioned more than 600 tankers as part of its efforts to curtail Russian oil exports. Kallas said, “Illegal oil sales from shadow fleet ships are a critical lifeline for Russia’s war in Ukraine, and we’ll continue to cut them off.” She noted that actions against the shadow fleet would be among the topics when EU defense ministers gather in Ireland on Tuesday.
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It is the second report this month that the Italian frigate stopped a tanker. At the beginning of the month, it inspected the product tanker Toa Payoh (51,000 dwt), southwest of Sicily. The tanker was also claiming registry in Cameroon. Vessels claiming registry in the African nation as suspect due to a high level of fraud and because Cameroon suspended registries this year under pressure from the Europeans and others.
In May and June, IRINI stopped four other tankers for inspections. Unlike the actions by France, Sweden, Belgium, the UK, and others, the vessels are not being seized or directed into port.
