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Skuggflottan i Östersjön – En navigering i havsrättens gråzoner

Åström, Sofia LU (2025) LAGF03 20251
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
In response to Western sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, a parallel maritime structure – the so-called shadow fleet – has expanded significantly. These vessels are not only used to circumvent sanctions, but also pose serious threats to the environment, maritime safety, and geopolitical stability, particularly in sensitive sea areas such as the Baltic Sea.

This thesis aims to examine how international law of the sea – with a particular focus on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and relevant conventions adopted within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – regulates the ability of coastal states to counter the operations of the shadow fleet.

The analysis shows that the... (More)
In response to Western sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, a parallel maritime structure – the so-called shadow fleet – has expanded significantly. These vessels are not only used to circumvent sanctions, but also pose serious threats to the environment, maritime safety, and geopolitical stability, particularly in sensitive sea areas such as the Baltic Sea.

This thesis aims to examine how international law of the sea – with a particular focus on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and relevant conventions adopted within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – regulates the ability of coastal states to counter the operations of the shadow fleet.

The analysis shows that the international legal framework rests on the principle of flag state responsibility – a responsibility that has proven vulnerable in practice due to use of flags of convenience, weak oversight and opaque ownership structures. When flag states fail to fulfill their obligations, coastal states are often left to deal with the consequences.

At the same time, the study demonstrates that coastal states, despite legal and practical constraints, retain certain opportunities to take preventive action. Through coordinated efforts, the protection against shadow fleet activities can be strengthened. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Som en reaktion på de västerländska sanktioner som införts mot Ryssland efter invasionen av Ukraina har en parallell sjöfartsstruktur – i form av en så kallad skuggflotta – vuxit fram i allt större omfattning. Dessa fartyg används inte enbart för att kringgå sanktioner, utan utgör även betydande hot mot miljön, den maritima säkerheten och den geopolitiska stabiliteten, särskilt i känsliga havsområden som Östersjön.

Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka hur den internationella havsrätten – med särskilt fokus på Förenta nationernas havsrättskonvention (UNCLOS) samt relevanta konventioner antagna inom ramen för Internationella sjöfartsorganisationen (IMO) – reglerar kuststaters möjligheter att agera mot skuggflottans verksamhet.

... (More)
Som en reaktion på de västerländska sanktioner som införts mot Ryssland efter invasionen av Ukraina har en parallell sjöfartsstruktur – i form av en så kallad skuggflotta – vuxit fram i allt större omfattning. Dessa fartyg används inte enbart för att kringgå sanktioner, utan utgör även betydande hot mot miljön, den maritima säkerheten och den geopolitiska stabiliteten, särskilt i känsliga havsområden som Östersjön.

Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka hur den internationella havsrätten – med särskilt fokus på Förenta nationernas havsrättskonvention (UNCLOS) samt relevanta konventioner antagna inom ramen för Internationella sjöfartsorganisationen (IMO) – reglerar kuststaters möjligheter att agera mot skuggflottans verksamhet.

Analysen visar att det internationella regelverket i huvudsak bygger på principen om flaggstatsansvar – ett ansvar som i praktiken visat sig vara sårbart genom utnyttjandet av bekvämlighetsflaggor, bristande tillsyn och oklara ägarförhållanden. När flaggstater brister i att uppfylla sina skyldigheter faller ansvaret ofta på kuststaterna, som tvingas hantera konsekvenserna.

Samtidigt framgår det att kuststater, trots juridiska och praktiska begränsningar, har vissa möjligheter att vidta förebyggande åtgärder. Genom samordnade insatser kan skyddet mot skuggflottans verksamhet stärkas. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Åström, Sofia LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Folkrätt
language
Swedish
id
9191068
date added to LUP
2025-06-23 13:40:51
date last changed
2025-06-23 13:40:51
@misc{9191068,
  abstract     = {{In response to Western sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, a parallel maritime structure – the so-called shadow fleet – has expanded significantly. These vessels are not only used to circumvent sanctions, but also pose serious threats to the environment, maritime safety, and geopolitical stability, particularly in sensitive sea areas such as the Baltic Sea.

This thesis aims to examine how international law of the sea – with a particular focus on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and relevant conventions adopted within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – regulates the ability of coastal states to counter the operations of the shadow fleet.

The analysis shows that the international legal framework rests on the principle of flag state responsibility – a responsibility that has proven vulnerable in practice due to use of flags of convenience, weak oversight and opaque ownership structures. When flag states fail to fulfill their obligations, coastal states are often left to deal with the consequences. 

At the same time, the study demonstrates that coastal states, despite legal and practical constraints, retain certain opportunities to take preventive action. Through coordinated efforts, the protection against shadow fleet activities can be strengthened.}},
  author       = {{Åström, Sofia}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Skuggflottan i Östersjön – En navigering i havsrättens gråzoner}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}