EU Tests Russia’s Red Line By Seizing Tanker In Mediterranean (Photos)

Click to see full-size image. (X\@kajakallas)

Forces from the European Union’s Operation IRINI boarded an oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea on August 30 on suspicion that the vessel belonged to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, the bloc’s foreign policy chief announced on September 1.

Kaja Kallas said the tanker, identified as the MV SUN, was boarded over concerns it was sailing under a false flag in violation of international maritime law.

“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,” Kallas said in a post on the social media platform X.

Photos shared by Kallas revealed the the seizure was carried out by the Italian offshore patrol vessel Paolo Thaon di Revel.

Click to see full-size image. (X\@kajakallas)

Kallas said the MV SUN was the sixth suspected shadow fleet vessel boarded by EU operations in recent months. She added that EU defense ministers were expected to discuss measures targeting Russia’s shadow fleet when they meet in Ireland later in the day.

Click to see full-size image. (X\@kajakallas)

The seizure is the first since President Vladimir Putin declared earlier in August that Russia would “respond in kind” to the seizure of its commercial vessels by the EU.

“If this begins to be implemented in practice, we will be forced to respond in kind,” Putin, attired in navy blue military gear, said while addressing servicemen of Russia’s Pacific Fleet aboard the cruiser Varyag, the fleet’s flagship vessel, in the country’s Far Eastern region of Sakhalin on August 12.

Putin said at the time that Russia sees authorities in some EU countries attempting to restrict the movement of its commercial vessels “in violation of international maritime law.” He argued that these countries have even considered seizing them and selling the property, which he said, “they stole from us.”

“This, of course, is nothing less than piracy and robbery,” Putin went on to say, adding that Russia’s response would not necessarily occur in the waters where the seizures take place, but “wherever we deem necessary and appropriate, anywhere,” including in the Pacific.

By sizing the MV SUN in the Mediterranean Sea, the EU is clearly testing Russia’s recently-declared red line, and possibly looking for an escalation.

Moscow will likely follow through with its threat, although it remains unclear where, when or how exactly the response will come.

The response to could lead to panic in the global shipping sector, which is already strained by the war on Iran. Insurance premiums would rise, shipping routes would be reassessed, and the cost of moving goods across the world’s oceans would notably increase.

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