Sweden will step up insurance checks on foreign ships as worries about Russia rise

Sweden says it volition measurement up security checks connected overseas ships successful a determination aimed astatine tightening controls connected Russia’s alleged shadiness fleet of aging ships

STOCKHOLM -- Sweden said Saturday it volition measurement up security checks connected overseas ships successful a determination aimed astatine tightening controls connected Russia's alleged "shadow fleet ” of aging ships.

The authorities successful Stockholm said that, starting July 1, the seashore defender and the Swedish Maritime Administration volition beryllium tasked with collecting security accusation not conscionable from ships that telephone astatine Swedish ports, but besides those that walk done the country's territorial waters and exclusive economical zone.

“This underlines Sweden’s wide beingness successful the Baltic Sea, which successful itself has a deterrent effect,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said successful a statement. “It besides provides Sweden and our allies with important accusation astir vessels that tin beryllium utilized arsenic a ground for sanctions listings of much vessels successful the shadiness fleet.”

Russia uses its shadiness fleet to transport lipid and gas, oregon to transportation stolen Ukrainian grain. The European Union has present targeted astir 350 of the ships successful full successful sanctions packages, astir precocious on May 20.

Kristersson said that “we are seeing much and much problematic events successful the Baltic Sea and this requires america not lone to anticipation for the best, but besides to program for the worst.”

The mean property of the vessels is astir 18 years, meaning they’re adjacent the extremity of their lifespan and are much susceptible to accidents, particularly if they’re not well-maintained.

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