EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed that Operation IRINI boarded the oil tanker MV South Star on 20 July to verify its flag after the vessel was suspected of sailing under a false flag in breach of international maritime law.
Kallas said every illicit shipment helps finance Russia’s war effort and that the EU is now “matching sanctions with action at sea.”
The move marks one of the bloc’s first direct enforcement actions against vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, which has been used to transport sanctioned oil and circumvent Western restrictions.
The EU also announced that member states have authorised Operation ATALANTA to begin conducting similar flag-verification boardings of suspected Russian shadow fleet vessels, expanding the bloc’s maritime enforcement capabilities.
The decision is part of the EU’s broader effort to tighten sanctions enforcement and further restrict Russia’s ability to finance its war in Ukraine.
