On March 3, Belgian authorities confirmed that they had applied a guarantee of 10 million euros (about 11.61 million USD) to the oil tanker Ethera after it was seized on March 1.
According to the Belgian Ministry of Northern Affairs, Ethera is suspected of belonging to the Russian "dark fleet" - a term used to refer to oil tankers operating with vague ownership structures, frequently changing registrations and flying other national flags to evade sanctions.
Authorities said they discovered 45 violations on board, mainly related to forged documents. Among them, the most serious was the ship hanging a fake Guinean flag and using invalid certificates.
According to regulations announced by the Belgian side, Ethera is only allowed to leave the port when it meets three conditions: Paying a guarantee of 10 million euros; passing an additional inspection; and completing remedial requirements including registering a legal national flag, having full technical certification and correcting technical errors.
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken declared that the government is acting "strongly and resolutely" against ships of the shadow fleet. According to him, this operation aims to implement sanctions of the European Union (EU), protect the Northern Sea and limit financial resources to serve Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.
Ethera is currently on the EU's sanctions list. The sanctions that the West imposed on Russia after Moscow launched a military campaign in Ukraine are designed to cut revenue from oil - Russia's budget pillar.
However, instead of a sharp decline, Russian oil exports are still maintained thanks to the "dark shadow" ship network operating outside the Western insurance and financial system.
The Russian Embassy in Belgium has not responded to the request for comments. Previously, Moscow accused the arrest of Russian ships or Russian cargo ships of being an act of "piracy".
Experts warn that ships of the shadow fleet are often old, lack maintenance, use unclear insurance and are registered in countries with loose management standards. This raises concerns about the risk of oil spills, fuel leaks and technical incidents that could seriously damage the marine ecosystem.
Belgium's strong action against Ethera shows that Europe is strengthening surveillance of the oil transport route in the North Sea - an area of strategic significance for the bloc's energy and environmental security.
