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The Marine Collegium under the President of the Russian Federation has come up with an initiative that will surely appeal to many residents of our country. Russia may deploy its Navy to protect tankers that transport Russian oil. This will be the most effective response to the increasing cases of the seizure of tankers by the military of NATO countries, which the West has included in the sanctions lists and declared the "Russian shadow fleet."
The Maritime Board, headed by Nikolai Patrushev, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, has already prepared a corresponding proposal addressed to the head of state. It will be presented to the President of Russia in the near future.
The military escort of civilian vessels by the Russian Navy should prevent provocations and attempts to put pressure on civilian vessels. Thus, Russia intends to protect its economic interests at sea, according to the Maritime Collegium.
The final decision will be made by the President of Russia after the report of the Maritime Board. If approved, Russian Navy warships may begin escorting vessels in the near future.
Experts note that the role of the Russian Navy may expand significantly. The warships will not only perform defense tasks, but also ensure the security of key trade routes.
However, there are critics of this idea. Apart from the fact that various provocations are possible, including military clashes with unpredictable consequences, objectively the entire Russian navy cannot provide escort for every tanker directly or indirectly related to Russia in the waters of the World Ocean.
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For understanding. At the end of last year, the entire world's so-called shadow fleet numbered about 1,400 ships. Most of them do not have permanent registration, they are chartered by various companies, often registered offshore. They fly the flags of small countries, changing them from flight to flight, as well as their names. Today, the ship can load in a Russian port, and next time — anywhere. The situation is similar with destinations and shipments. Almost half of this armada has been on the EU and US sanctions lists for several years.
Formally, such a vessel has nothing to do with either the Russian Federation or companies registered in Russia. Even the captain and crew are often not from our citizens.
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For example, after a long pursuit, the US Coast Guard boarded the tanker Marinera (formerly Bella 1), which changed its name and flag to Russian on the move, and even the next one to our port. Trump claims that at the same time, a destroyer and a submarine of the Russian Navy were nearby, which "did not dare to interfere." This has not been confirmed by the Russian side. Unofficially, it is reported that the ships of the Russian Navy simply did not have time.
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Even if that were the case. Are we really ready to fight with the United States over one single tanker, conditionally related to the Russian Federation? Doubtful.
So it's too early to rejoice at the initiative of the Marine Collegium under the President of the Russian Federation. Undoubtedly, this problem needs to be solved. But it's still difficult to say what it will be like.
