EUROPE is worried. Very worried.

As European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gets ready to kick off her new commission this weekend, she knows she has a long list of goals ahead of her that range between unlikely to unachievable.

The most immediate of those relate to security.

The bloc is haggling over a vertiginous increase in defence spending, exacerbated by the incoming reality of a Trump presidency that will be pushing EU states to take over the lion’s share of Ukraine support.

In that context, dealing with the threat of the dark fleet is difficult, but significantly more achievable than finding an additional $340bn of defence budget down the back of the commission’s sofa.

The latest round of EU sanctions, revealed by Lloyd’s List, is impressively long and builds on the bumper edition released by the UK earlier this week. Targeting ships and companies with specific sanctions is now the go-to tool for European regulators looking to curtail Russia’s maritime activities.

While the financial blow to Moscow is part of it, this is as much about the strategic defence of European waters now because EU governments are increasingly worried that the uninsured dark fleet presents a clear and present danger to its coastline.

Arguably it has done for some time, but the stars are aligning for action to finally take place.

Poland is about to take over the EU’s rotating presidency from Hungary, whose Russia-friendly leader has frequently delayed or blocked measures that help Ukraine.

That comes just as EU ministers are looking at how to shore up security after undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea was damaged for the second time in a year.

Poland is about to propose a maritime policing programme in the Baltic Sea, similar to air-monitoring missions carried out by Nato members. And it’s not a huge leap from that to the EU parliamentary resolution earlier this month that won widespread support for proposing to effectively stop and search suspect ships in EU waters.

Europe’s lacklustre sanctions enforcement programme to date looks like it is about to ramp up in quite a serious way and shipping is now the number one target.

Mostly that is a problem for the shadow fleet operators, and those behind the London-based Barbados Maritime Ship Registry should probably expect a few questions heading their way.

But there are still entities who have to date been happy to exist in the grey areas of European interactions with Russia, and they may want to reconsider their position.

A forensic look through the associated companies and vessel links included on the latest list of EU targets would be an advisable risk and compliance health check for anyone involved in European shipping right now.

Richard Meade
Editor-in-chief, Lloyd’s List

Click here to view the latest Lloyd’s List Daily Briefing