Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said his navy boarded and diverted a vessel believed to be part of Russia’s illicit “shadow fleet” on Sunday.
Francken said the ship is being escorted to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, where Belgian authorities will formally seize it.
The tanker, named Ethera, was taken on Sunday by Belgian and French forces. Authorities suspect it was operating under a “false flag and false documents.” Francken wrote on X: “Over the past few hours, our armed forces, with the support of the French Defense, have boarded an oil tanker belonging to the Russian shadow fleet. The vessel is currently being escorted to the port of Zeebrugge, where it will be seized.”
French President Emmanuel Macron posted video of naval forces securing the Ethera in the North Sea, calling the action a “major blow” to Russia’s shadow fleet. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also welcomed the move, writing on X: “We welcome this strong action against Moscow’s floating purse and thank France for supporting the operation.”
The so-called shadow fleet is made up largely of older tankers with opaque ownership records that are used to evade sanctions and move crude oil to buyers willing to accept discounted, potentially illicit cargoes. Those shipments help sustain revenues for Russia’s economy and its war in Ukraine.
Francken said the effort is aimed at undermining that capability: “Without his shadow fleet Putin can’t wage war against innocent Ukrainians. So we take these vessels out. One by one. Until his war of aggression stops,” and stressed that Belgium is taking its responsibilities seriously.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever praised the armed forces for the “successful operation last night,” thanked France for its assistance, and said Belgium would uphold international maritime law and protect the security of its territorial waters.
The operation comes after criticism from some EU partners over Belgium’s earlier opposition to seizing Russian assets frozen in Europe to fund loans to Ukraine. De Wever defended Belgium’s stance, warning of serious legal and financial risks if those frozen assets — the largest share of which, about €180 billion, are held in Belgium — were seized.
Edited by Rana Taha