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Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Number of Russian ‘shadow ships' in Irish-controlled waters rises dramatically
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of sanctioned Russian ships, known as shadow fleet vessels, sailing through Irish-controlled waters, an Irish Times investigation has found. Nineteen of these vessels have been tracked passing through, or just outside, the Irish Economic Zone (EEZ) since May. Many of the ships have exhibited unusual behaviour such as taking economically inefficient routes or sailing well outside recognised shipping lanes. The trend has caused the Defence Forces and Department of Transport to step up monitoring of these vessels as they pass Ireland on foot of environmental and national security concerns. Russia was hit with broad-ranging sanctions following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, it has increasingly relied on the shadow fleet to smuggle oil and natural gas to valuable markets in the global south. READ MORE A shadow fleet vessel is generally defined as a ship engaged in deceptive practices to transport sanctioned oil or other cargos. In many cases, the ships are registered in small, improvised countries which lack the means and will to enforce maritime law. The ships are often old and in poor condition, raising significant environmental concerns. Of the 19 ships tracked near Ireland since May, 18 were crude oil tankers. Twelve of the ships were carrying full loads of crude oil at the time. Twelve are subject to European Union sanctions with the remainder subject to US or UK sanctions. Previously, the number of Russian ships in Irish controlled waters was more sporadic, usually amounting to a handful a month. [ Sanctioned Russian ship intercepted by Coast Guard after docking in Louth Opens in new window ] Some ships have caused particular alarm due to their strange behaviour. For example, in recent weeks the Sierra and Marathon tankers left a Russian port on the Baltic Sea with full loads of oil for destinations in India. Instead of sailing through the English Channel, a quicker, safer and less expensive option, they opted to travel around the top of Ireland and into the North Atlantic. 'Vessels don't take longer routes, especially those that include the North Atlantic, unless there's a reason,' said Mark Douglas, a maritime domain analyst with Starboard Maritime Intelligence and a former New Zealand royal navy officer. 'The important thing about all of this is, I don't know why this is happening and no one else does either,' he said. One possible explanation is the UK has stepped up the monitoring of shadow fleet vessels in the English Channel. UK officials are now challenging by radio an average of 40 shadow vessels every month off the British coast as part of a joint campaign with a group of EU countries to tackle Russian sanction busting. Some of the oil tankers also appear to be avoiding designated areas which require them to reveal their cargos to authorities. Officials are concerned about the environmental risks posed by these ships, which are often crewed by overworked and inexperienced crews. The clean-up costs for an oil spill from a single shadow fleet tanker could be nearly €750 million, according to recent estimates from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. There is also concern about the risk to Irish undersea cables from either deliberate or accidental damage by the ships' anchors. There have been several such incidents in European waters in recent years. The Air Corps and Naval Service have stepped up their monitoring of these vessels, despite their limited resources. Last week alone, an Air Corps C295 was deployed at least twice to track sanctioned vessels as they sailed through the EEZ. In addition, the Irish Coast Guard 'has instituted specific measures to monitor the presence of these vessels and passage through and out of Irish EEZ,' the Department of Transport said. It said the coast guard is specifically concerned about the increased possibility of maritime casualty incidents 'from such vessels'.
BreakingNews.ie
15-06-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Government signs new sonar contract to enhance maritime security
The Government has signed a multimillion-euro contract with Thales DMS France for the provision of towed sonar capability. The sonar, the first of its kind in Ireland, will be used for monitoring and surveillance in the subsea domain, enhancing maritime security. Advertisement The new sonar capability will be used on Irish Naval vessels to monitor activities in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and in the vicinity of subsea communication cables or gas pipelines. Tánaiste Simon Harris said: 'This significant investment in sonar capability will provide the Naval Service with a state-of-the-art sonar system, which will enable them to build a picture of our subsea, thus contributing to the important task of protecting our critical underwater infrastructure. 'This is one of many strands of work being progressed to address the threats in our maritime domain. 'It will serve as an important first step in creating a 'pattern of life' in the subsea domain, with future projects further enhancing this capability. Advertisement 'This investment will contribute to the Programme for Government commitment to focus on the protection of critical undersea. 'It also responds in part to the need identified in the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, under Level of Ambition 2, for a number of maritime capabilities including the enhancement of sub-surface capabilities to monitor subsea cables.' Mr Harris added: 'My department is also progressing the development of the country's first National Maritime Security Strategy and a public consultation on this new strategy will be launched in the coming days.' Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy said it would enable Naval ships to monitor the subsurface space within the maritime area. Advertisement He added: 'This capability will greatly enhance the Defence Forces' situational awareness across domains and is a welcome advancement in the continued development and transformation of the Oglaigh na hEireann.' 'While the Naval Service and Air Corps regularly monitor activity on Irish seas, this new acquisition will enhance awareness below the surface, contributing to the overall maritime picture available to Naval Service and the wider Defence Forces. 'An enhanced maritime picture is also important for detecting illegal activities such as illegal fishing, drug trafficking, terrorism and espionage.' It is anticipated that this new capability will be available to the Naval Service in 2027. Advertisement The Government has said maritime security is a priority and has undertaken a number of initiatives including the Department of Defence taking the lead in the co-ordination and development of Ireland's first National Maritime Security Strategy. It has also recently approved the Defence Forces' participation in the Common Information Sharing Environment, an EU initiative which enables structured and secure information-sharing among EU maritime authorities, both civil and military, allowing for more effective operations at sea amid new and evolving maritime threats.
