Russian Shadow Fleet

Lord Vaux of Harrowden Excerpts

Tuesday 16th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

The legal basis is that the ship was falsely flagged. As such, it loses some of the protections that it would have were it to be properly and legally flagged according to the rules that operate in the maritime environment. Also, the Attorney-General made clear that it was legal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. From both points of view—the United Nations law of the sea, under which the Attorney-General was satisfied, and the fact that the ship was falsely flagged—it loses some of the protections that it would otherwise have. That means it is not piracy. The ship does not avail itself of the protections it would have were it properly flagged.

[Lord Vaux of Harrowden (CB)]

My Lords, what assessment have the Government made of the role of Greece with the Russian shadow fleet? Many of these ships appear to have been previously Greek-owned, and we have the ship-to-ship transfers of oil that are taking place in the Aegean Sea. What discussions have we had with our European partners in that respect?

[Lord Coaker (Lab)]

We talk to all our European partners, including Greece, about how we ensure that the sanctions with respect to Russia are as effective as possible. We highlight all the time the importance of ensuring that the efforts of Ukraine to repel the illegal invasion are successful. That obviously requires the support that we give militarily but, as I have said in answer to many of the questions that noble Lords have posed, the ability to undermine the strength of the economy of Russia should not be underestimated. The shadow fleet is playing a role in trying to support the economy of Russia; the more we can do to undermine that, the better.