The British government believes it has identified legislative provisions that would allow the military to board and detain ships believed to be part of the shadow fleet, the BBC reports.
Russia, Iran and Venezuela are accused of using ships that fly a false flag to evade sanctions. Last week, British forces helped the US military seize the oil tanker Mariner, which the Americans accuse of violating sanctions by transporting Russian, Venezuelan and Iranian oil. So far, the British military has not boarded any of the shadow fleet ships, but officials have been looking for measures to crack down on those who violate sanctions.
British ministers believe that the use of military force could be approved using the Sanctions and Money Laundering Act 2018. It is understood that military force is planned to be directed against the shadow fleet, but it is not clear when this might happen.
Britain has already imposed sanctions on more than 500 alleged shadow fleet ships,
whose operations help finance hostile activities, including Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. So far, the UK and its allies have taken action to remove around 200 ships (most of which were sailing without a flag). Flagging is a process that binds a ship to a particular country, which in turn allows it to travel in international waters and provides some legal protection.
The British government believes that the new mechanism could be adapted to any ship on the sanctions list that is sailing without a legally registered flag. This may have also applied to the tanker Marinera, which was detained in early January. It was intercepted in the North Atlantic Ocean between Iceland and the Scottish coast. The British Ministry of Defence said the US had requested British assistance, and the Royal Air Force and Navy were taking part in the operation in support. Defence Secretary John Healey said all operations were carried out in accordance with international law, adding that Britain would not stand by while malicious activity took place in international waters.
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