Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
It means, the tanker will not be allowed to leave port, before the money is paid and another inspection has been conducted.
A Russian-linked oil tanker has been stopped in a European port as authorities intensify efforts to enforce sanctions on Moscow’s energy trade.
According to The Kyiv Independent, Belgium has set a 10 million euro ($11.6 million) bail requirement for the oil tanker Ethera after detaining the vessel last week, the government announced on March 3.
Authorities said the ship cannot leave port until the payment is made and a follow-up inspection confirms it meets maritime rules. Those checks include verifying certification documents, confirming proper flag registration and correcting technical problems found during the inspection.
Belgian officials said inspectors discovered 45 violations on board the tanker, most of them connected to invalid certification paperwork.
Crackdown on fleet
According to the Belgian government, the tanker was detained during a joint operation with France on March 1.
Officials said the action marked the first time Belgian authorities had seized a vessel believed to be part of Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
The network of aging or loosely regulated tankers has been used to move Russian oil around the world while avoiding Western sanctions imposed after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Ethera had been sailing under a Guinean flag after departing from a Moroccan port, officials said.
Rising tensions
The European Union sanctioned the tanker in October 2025, while the United States imposed similar restrictions in July as part of measures targeting Russian oil exports.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged European lawmakers to strengthen legal frameworks so authorities can not only inspect vessels suspected of sanctions evasion but also confiscate them.
Belgium’s move follows similar enforcement actions by Western allies. France carried out a comparable detention in late January, while U.S. authorities have seized several ships tied to sanctioned oil trade.
The Kremlin has warned that Moscow could respond with naval measures if European countries expand boarding and seizure operations against Russian-linked vessels in the Baltic Sea.
Sources: Government of Belgium, EU sanctions records, Reuters, The Kyiv Independent
