LONDON, March 26. /TASS/. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer granted British military personnel authorization to detain vessels of the so-called shadow fleet in the waters of the kingdom, the prime minister’s office reported in a statement.

TASS has compiled the key information on the situation.

The United Kingdom’s decision

- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer granted British military personnel authorization to detain vessels of the so-called shadow fleet in the waters of the kingdom.

- London will restrict access to the English Channel for sanctioned vessels, the prime minister’s office reported in a statement.

- British troops and law enforcement agencies will adopt an individualized approach regarding each vessel and will consult with industry specialists before conducting an operation to detain it.

The West’s position

- Brussels welcomes detentions of foreign tankers with Russian oil on board by EU member-states and considers these actions the best tools to pressure Russia, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

- The Irish government intends to urgently adopt legislation that would allow military personnel to board vessels suspected of violating unilateral sanctions imposed by the West against Russia, the Irish Examiner newspaper reported on February 25, citing sources.

- France plans to achieve a complete blockade of Russian oil shipments by the 'shadow fleet' and intends to use military means to do so, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.

Understanding of the 'shadow fleet'

- The EU uses the term 'shadow fleet' to refer to tankers flying the flags of foreign states that, in Brussels’ assessment, transport Russian oil.

- Currently, the European Union has already added over 500 such tankers to its blacklist.

- Since last year, a number of EU countries have begun detaining these vessels near their territorial waters.

- In total, the United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on 544 vessels of the so-called shadow fleet allegedly linked to Russia.

Russia’s position

- Western countries have invented the "shadow fleet" and are trying to detain vessels through the use of force in the fight for declining dominance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in an interview with the TV BRICS international network.

- The United Kingdom will soon be left without fuel to intercept anything whatsoever, Russian special presidential envoy on foreign investment and economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev said.

- The European Union is tailoring international maritime law to suit its own needs, while discussing the 'shadow fleet,' Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Countering detentions of Russian vessels

- Western countries continue to provoke incidents against vessels transporting cargoes in Russia’s interests, subjecting them to inspections and detentions under various pretexts, Presidential Aide and Maritime Board Chairman Nikolay Patrushev said.

- By staging a "hunt" for Russia's so-called shadow fleet, the West is attempting to tighten control, even block, vessels transporting Russian cargoes, he noted.

- Moscow will use all tools to ensure respect for the principle of freedom of navigation to counter the EU’s maritime piracy, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Incidents

- On March 20, French authorities, with the participation of Britain, detained the Deyna oil tanker, sailing from the Russian city of Murmansk, in the western Mediterranean Sea.

- The Mozambique-flagged tanker was escorted by the French Navy to the port of Marseille for an investigation on charges of violating flag usage regulations.

- French President Emmanuel Macron said that the vessel in question was a tanker of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.

- On February 3, Estonian authorities detained the Bahamas-flagged container ship Baltic Spirit with Russian sailors on board on suspicion of smuggling.

- On January 7 at approximately 3:00 p.m.Moscow time (12:00 p.m. GMT), US military personnel boarded the Marinera oil tanker in the Atlantic Ocean.

- The White House claimed that the Marinera tanker is part of Venezuela’s shadow fleet.

- The United States repeatedly received reliable information confirming the Russian ownership of the Marinera and its civilian status, a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry reads.