Denmark is stepping up environmental inspections of aging and high-risk ships at Skagen Red, one of the busiest anchorages in the Nordic region, to address the threat posed by the so-called Russian “shadow fleet.” The initiative, part of a wider EU crackdown, targets vessels transporting sanctioned oil and violating environmental rules. Authorities will focus on waste management, emissions, fuel compliance, and documentation, according to The Maritime Executive. The effort includes enhanced port state controls and sulfur emission monitoring via sensors on the Great Belt Bridge. Danish officials cite the move as essential to protecting marine waters and countering Russia’s use of outdated ships to fund its war efforts. They write:

Denmark will tighten environmental checks of ships at a top maritime chokepoint in the Baltic Sea, the Ministry of Environment said Oct. 6, highlighting the country’s latest efforts in clamping down on the shadow fleet. […]

A recent study by S&P Global Market Intelligence and S&P Global Commodity Insights identified 940 tankers that were either confirmed by Western authorities to have violated sanctions or at high risk of breaching them as of May, whose average age was 20 years — significantly higher than the industry average.

“We know from our safety checks at Skagen Red that among these ships there are old and worn-out ships sailing around,” Minister of Industry and Trade Morten Bødskov said. “That is why our authorities are now intensifying the controls so that we look after Denmark and Danish waters.” […]

Russia exported 1.6 million b/d of crude from the Baltic in September, or 41% of its total seaborne exports, according to CAS. Russian clean product exports from the Baltic reached 649,000 b/d, 57% of Russia’s total, CAS data showed.

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