Twelve European countries agree to check insurance of suspected shadow fleet tankers

Twelve European countries have agreed to coordinate checks requiring suspected shadow fleet vessels to show proof of insurance as they pass through the English Channel, the Great Belt, the Sound and the Gulf of Finland, the Estonian government said on 16 December. The countries are Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK. The information gathered will be assessed jointly and acted upon. Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said those operating "in the shadows need to face the consequences".

This is a summary in our own words of the linked reporting. Allegations are those of the source. How we report.