Russia's 'shadow fleet' resurfaces: 200 civilian vessels suspected of North Sea espionage

An investigation has revealed that Russia's fleet of alleged spy ships operating in the North Sea has increased to about 200 civilian ships.

According to a joint investigation by the Belgian newspaper De Tijd and the Follow the Money platform, which was published on Thursday (June 20), Russia has increased the number of its cargo ships, fishing boats, research vessels, oil tankers, and pleasure yachts that are suspected of gathering information about the locations of vital infrastructure and pipelines in the North Sea to sabotage or disrupt them.

According to the study, the vessels, most of which are docked in Germany, Norway, and the Netherlands, are accused of having participated in around 1,000 instances of espionage in the North Sea.

Since 2014, Russian ships have been accused of spying on infrastructure in the North Sea. In a previous inquiry, public broadcasters in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Norway discovered that during NATO training exercises, at least fifty Russian ships, supposedly civilian and fishing vessels, had lingered close to oil and gas fields, power stations, and military training grounds.

According to the investigation published on Thursday, Russian-flagged ships are regularly involved in suspicious loitering activities. They have also been used to scout out the locations and weak points of the vital infrastructure in the North Sea, instead of carrying out research, moving cargo, or fishing.

"Russian ships are suspicious in themselves, even if they maintain a very normal sailing pattern. Because every Russian ship, even if it works for a private company, works for the Russian government anyway," Thomas De Spiegelaere, spokesman for the Maritime Security Cell of the Belgian Federal Public Service of Mobility and Transport, said in a statement.

"Russia could use about 200 civilian vessels for espionage in the North Sea. This has not happened since the Cold War," Agentstvo, an independent Russian investigative site commented on the report on Friday.

Ewa Skoog Haslum, the chief of Sweden's navy, also expressed worry about Russian ships that were present in the Baltic Sea in April.
 According to Skoog Haslum, Russia could be employing its "shadow fleet" of oil tankers for espionage operations in the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Sea is home to Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet," which is made up of outdated boats that frequently change their flag registrations, lack proper insurance, and operate under opaque ownership. According to experts, Russia is using the ships to get around restrictions on its oil shipments.