Britain does not detain Russian “shadow fleet” tankers because it fears the costs of maintaining them, — media

The UK has not detained any of the Russian “shadow fleet” ships, fearing the high costs of maintaining them.

This is reported by The Times.

In March, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the country would begin to pursue Russian “shadow fleet” ships that sail under false flags. He even admitted the possibility of landing special forces on tankers.

However, no such operation has ever been carried out – due to disagreements in the government over how and for what money to maintain these ships. The British government fears that the costs of maintaining these tankers in ports could reach tens of millions of pounds.

The Times estimated that the Russian “shadow fleet” currently has about 700 ships and provides about 40% of Russian oil exports.

As previously reported by USM, Russian warships have begun escorting “shadow fleet” tankers through the English Channel.