Letter to Mitsotakis by 36 MEPs: They are calling for measures for a Greek -owned block in the shadow Russian fleet

A 36 -MEP 36 MEP from various countries sent a joint letter last Friday to the office of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, asking him to take « all necessary measures » to block new sales of Greek -owned ships to Russia. MEPs warn that these transactions help the Kremlin maintain its shadow fleet and bypass the G7’s honor in Russian oil.

MEPs are also calling for additional measures to limit ships to ship, a technique used to conceal the origin of the goods, as well as to discourage Greek companies from the transport of Russian oil.

« These actions are critical not only to limit Russia’s financial means to continue its war against Ukraine, but also to prevent environmental and insurance risks to which your country, as a naval nation, has already been immediately exposed, » MEPs write.

They cite a recent study by the US Think Tank Brookings, according to which more than half of the ships used by Russia’s shadow fleet come from Western Europe owners, with Greece being « far the most frequent seller ». They say that « the Greek shipowners have earned about $ 4 billion from the sale of aging ships that ended up in the Russian fleet. »

‘Strengthen the control’

The findings agree with a previous study of the European Parliament’s research service, As Euronews reports. « Such irresponsible actions, aimed at financial gain, not only contribute directly to the plagues of the Ukrainian people, but also undermine European and Greek security, causing, among other environmental risks, » said Petras Auštrevičius, the Lithuanian Lady.

So far, the EU has registered 153 ships of the Russian fleet in black, banning them access to European ports and services. Despite the wide range of sanctions, the EU has not imposed an immediate ban on the sale or transfer of ownership of tanks to Russia. Instead, EU companies and individuals are obliged to notify these transactions to the competent national authorities and await approval.

MEPs are calling on the Greek government to boost control over ship sales to third countries, to prevent further transfers to suspicious entities, and to continue efforts to reduce Russian oil on Greek water. They point out that this revenue boosts Russia’s war machine and threaten European security and the environment.

« We rely on you and your government to encourage Greek companies to stand in solidarity in Ukraine, » the signatories conclude.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ office did not respond immediately to the letter. One spokesman said: « The Greek authorities are doing everything to ensure compliance with sanctions and prevent any circumvention of sanctions in their territory. »

The ‘shadow fleet’

Greece, a coastal country with a strong shipping industry, is under control over the role it traditionally plays in the trade of Russian fossil fuels. Although this activity has been significantly reduced due to EU sanctions, it has not completely disappeared.

The so -called « shadow fleet » refers to the ships used by the Kremlin to bypass the prices ceiling on Russian oil imposed by Western allies to limit the funding of complete invasion of Ukraine. International oil and gas sales are the most important sources of revenue for the Moscow budget.

The fleet consists of old, uninsured tankers that apply misleading practices, such as the transmission of counterfeit data, the disabled transformers to become invisible and multiple transport from ship to ship to hide the origin of oil barrels. In this way, ships can escape the control and, therefore, the prices ceiling.

Political pressure to fight the fleet has increased over time after a series of incidents in the Baltic Sea, where Russian vessels were accused of sabotaging against underwater cables.

In various sanctions packages, the EU has put on the black list of 153 ships belonging to the shadow fleet. All this is prohibited to access EU ports and EU services.