Image for representation purposes only<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nBelgium has imposed a \u20ac10 million ($11.6 million) bail on the sanctioned Russian oil tanker <\/span>Ethera<\/span> after detaining it in the North Sea. <\/span><\/p>\nAuthorities said the vessel was part of Russia\u2019s so-called \u201cshadow fleet\u201d and had been operating under false documentation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe tanker will remain in port until the bond is paid and inspectors confirm full compliance with maritime regulations.<\/span><\/p>\nBelgian authorities detained the vessel on March 1 in a joint operation with France. It was brought to the port of Zeebrugge for inspection.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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Officials said inspectors found 45 violations, mostly related to invalid certificates and paperwork problems. The vessel was sailing under a false Guinean flag, raising serious concerns under international maritime law.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Authorities stated that the ship can only depart after:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- \nPayment of the \u20ac10 million deposit<\/span><\/p>\n
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- \nSecuring a valid flag state<\/span><\/p>\n
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- \nObtaining proper certification<\/span><\/p>\n
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- \nRectifying technical deficiencies<\/span>
\n<\/span>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe vessel is listed under European Union sanctions, and it has also been under U.S. sanctions list since July.<\/p>\n
Belgian officials confirmed that the Russian captain and the 20-member crew were ordered to stay onboard while the investigation continues.<\/span><\/p>\nMost of the crew are Indian nationals. Among the seven senior officers, three are from Georgia and one is from Indonesia.<\/p>\n
This is the first time Belgium has seized a ship linked to Russia\u2019s shadow fleet. The Belgian Defence Ministry said the action is aimed at enforcing EU sanctions and protecting North Sea waters from possible environmental risks.<\/p>\n
Defence Minister Theo Francken said the government is taking strong action against ships that try to bypass sanctions and support Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine.<\/span><\/p>\nThe Kremlin has earlier called the seizure of Russian-linked tankers \u201cpiracy.\u201d Russian officials have also warned that they could take naval action if European countries increase boarding and inspection operations in regional waters.<\/p>\n
Western sanctions imposed after Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion of Ukraine have led to the rise of a shadow fleet of ageing oil tankers. These vessels often operate with unclear ownership and frequently change flags to avoid sanctions and inspections.<\/p>\n
Regulators say many of these tankers are poorly maintained. This raises the risk of oil spills, mechanical failures, and environmental damage.<\/p>\n
Belgium\u2019s action follows similar enforcement steps taken by other Western countries. <\/span><\/p>\nIn January, France boarded and fined another suspected shadow fleet tanker. The United States has also seized several vessels linked to sanctioned oil trade operations.
\n<\/span><\/p>\nEuropean lawmakers are discussing tougher legal rules that would allow authorities not only to inspect sanctioned ships, but also to confiscate them.<\/p>\n
Reference: Reuters<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/BR><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Belgium Imposes $11.6 Million Bail On Seized Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker Ethera Image for representation purposes only Belgium has imposed a \u20ac10 million ($11.6 million) bail on the sanctioned Russian oil tanker Ethera after detaining it in the North Sea. Authorities said the vessel was part of Russia\u2019s so-called \u201cshadow fleet\u201d and had been operating […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,196],"tags":[197],"class_list":["post-25785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marine-insight","category-shipping-news","tag-marine-insight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25785"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25785\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/p>\n![\"tanker\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/tanker.jpg?resize=1200%2C628\")