Sweden has revealed for the first time it is tracking Russia’s tanker fleet amid espionage fears.
The country’s Chief of Navy Ewa Skoog Haslum told broadcaster SVT that there is “documentation” some of the vessels can be used to spy on European Union nations.
Concerns have been raised before on safety grounds about the armada of often ageing tankers shipping Russian oil through the Baltic Sea.
Now Skoog Haslum has said there are military aspects to Russian-owned vessels’ movements.
And officers are finding antennas and masts on other ships such as trawlers that would not normally belong on them.
“What is going on right now due to the sanctions against Russia could become both a security and environmental tragedy,” the naval chief said.
She explained vessels can be used in hybrid operations.
Skoog Haslum gave the example of a foreign ship entering a Swedish port under the cover of seeking an emergency refuge after an accident.
SVT reported that Swedish authorities have made concrete preparations for this in connection with at least one Russian-trading tanker having technical problems off the island of Gotland.
“There is a lot that can happen in the form of a hybrid operation or something similar, so there is a whole game plan to play on,” Skoog Haslum added.
‘Other objectives’
She also claimed to have proof that tankers can be used to intercept communications.
“There are sometimes other objectives with their activities,” Skoog Haslum said.
Counter-measures have been discussed during a summit of EU defence and foreign affairs in Luxembourg this month.
“There is a very broad consensus that the shadow fleet is a problem,” Sweden’s foreign minister Tobias Billstrom said.
Last week, Billstrom called for greater restrictions on the Russian-trading fleet in the Baltic Sea.
He claimed that Russia “doesn’t care one bit” about causing major environmental havoc at sea.
“We will all be affected if there were a major problem arising from a collision or oil leakage from one of these ships, which also in many cases are not seaworthy, or very close to not being seaworthy,” Billstrom told The Guardian.
