Russian warship for the first time openly escorted shadow fleet tankers through the English Channel
The first case of open escort of sanctioned tankers by Russian warships in European waters was recorded by the New Zealand-based maritime situational awareness analyst Starboard Maritime Intelligence Ltd. About this informs DW.
According to the Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), since June 16, three vessels — two tankers and a Russian warship — have been making coordinated movements. They entered the English Channel at the same time, heading to Russian ports to load oil. The group included the “Sterigayuchy” corvette “Boikiy”, the tanker SELVA (also known as NOSTOS/NAXOS), which is under UK sanctions, and the tanker SIERRA (“Suvorivsky Prospekt”), which is subject to UK and EU sanctions.
The tanker SELVA was transmitting AIS signals as a Panamanian-flagged vessel, but after publication it was revealed that it is believed to have changed jurisdiction and is currently flying the flag of Palau, according to S\&P data.
Finland’s defense minister previously warned about the possibility of such escorts, calling them “unprecedented”. In response to increased control by Estonia and the EU countries, Russia actually switched to openly escorting its shadow fleet by the military.
The ships were first identified by OSINT experts on the Bluesky social network, including Christian Panton. Starboard Maritime Intelligence continues to monitor the behavior of tankers and changes in their routes. According to the analyst, this situation is a kind of test of the readiness of the international community for escalation and firmness in compliance with sanctions.
