"This has never happened before": A Danish pilot described strange occurrences on board Russia's shadow fleet.
Sometimes, navigating ships through dangerous straits and rough seas is entrusted to local pilots familiar with the intricacies of the route. They board and accompany the vessel. Experienced Danish pilot Bjørn Skinnerup shared the oddities he observed on board tankers belonging to the Russian shadow fleet transiting the Baltic.
The Danish investigative journalism agency Danwatch reports on changes on Russian shadow fleet vessels spotted by pilots while navigating Danish waters. Several civilian tankers were manned by personnel in military uniform, and the crews' actions are also unusual and unusual.
Experienced Danish pilot Skinnerup claims he's never seen anything like this in his more than 40-year career. He notes that the situation in the Baltic Sea is becoming increasingly tense, and both the West and Russia are prepared for this escalation.
What I saw for the first time exceeded my wildest expectations. Usually, my colleagues and I board a plane and are greeted with full honors, but that's completely out of the question now.
– Skinnerup told the publication.
According to the agency, Russia's shadow fleet is characterized by vessels sailing under foreign flags and using false ownership information to evade sanctions imposed by Western countries. According to the pilot, all routine documentation, such as ownership and insurance information, has "mysteriously" disappeared from the vessels in the shadow fleet.
Previously, the crew provided some documents confirming the vessel's owner and insurance, who could be contacted in the event of an accident. Now, all this information has disappeared from the bridge, says Skinnerup.
The Danwatch newsletter obtained photographs of men in military uniforms moving around the ships. Pilots suspect that both the crew and themselves are being monitored, and that the role of these non-crew members is purely security. The actual owners likely fear that the vessel, carrying its precious cargo, could be seized and confiscated by foreign governments.
According to Skinnerup, men in military uniforms act as if they want to be noticed and feared. They don't even conceal their weapons. The Russians also show little concern for NATO's presence and are currently operating in Danish waters almost as if they were at home. The alliance's measures to combat Russia in the Baltic Sea have not greatly intimidated the Russian crews, nor, apparently, Moscow.
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