Ships can only sail under the flag of one state, and must maintain valid safety and insurance documents, the countries said in a joint statement issued to the UK Department for Transport on Monday. The signatories cited an article in the Global Maritime Treaty as a legal basis, saying tankers failing to do so would be treated as baying vessels.
The so-called shadow, or dark, fleet is a group of about 1,500 tankers that carry Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan oil around the world. Ships are usually older than regular ships, and often use false flags to appear legitimate without complying with regulations.
By designating tankers as stateless, nations can increase their ability to intervene against them. The statement comes as a handful of European countries have moved some way to formalize these measures in recent weeks.
Last week the French navy boarded what it said was a false-flag oil tanker from Russia, while a ship pretending to be another vessel was forced to turn away from Germany earlier this month. Governments have long promised to crack down on the dark fleet, but have toughened their stance this year. The US is also seizing tankers linked to Venezuela’s oil trade.
Read more: The US has seized a Russian-flagged tanker and another is tied up in Venezuela
14 states threaten international shipping by interfering with Russia’s satellite-based positioning and navigation systems. He said in the statement that the global maritime community should cooperate in developing coastal radio navigation systems as a backup when satellite-based ones are disrupted. He warned that automatic identification systems of ships should not be tampered with.
Read more: Black fleet seeks Russian protection when US captures oil tankers
Fourteen countries, including Sweden, France, Germany and Britain, stand along the waterways that are the only outlet for major hubs of crude export hubs in western Russia. Tankers must pass through the Baltic Sea and the North Sea before entering the Atlantic Ocean to lift the Urals from Primorsk and UST-Luga.
Image: Oil tanker at sea. Photo credit: Marcelo Del Pozo/Bloomberg
Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.
