There was a spike in Russian shadow fleet activity in Irish-controlled waters this week, placing additional pressure on security services dealing with the State visit of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
At least three vessels under international sanctions have entered the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) this week.
Irish officials determined it was unlikely their presence was linked to Mr Zelenskiy’s visit. However, the vessels attracted attention due to the suspected use of other shadow fleet vessels in hybrid warfare against EU countries.
The visit of the Ukrainian president meant Air Corps’ maritime patrol aircraft were largely unavailable to maintain surveillance.
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One of the aircraft was tasked with patrolling the airspace on Ireland’s south and east coasts in advance of his arrival while the other remains in Spain where it is undergoing maintenance.
Russia has been using vessels registered in other countries to transport oil in an effort to bypass sanctions imposed following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. These vessels, which have also been accused of damaging undersea cables in EU waters, are known collectively as the shadow fleet.
In September shadow fleet vessels were suspected of serving as a launch platform for drones that disrupted operations at Copenhagen airport in Denmark.
One of the ships was later boarded and detained by the French military.
In July an Irish Times investigation found a large increase in the number of shadow fleet vessels transiting through Ireland’s EEZ, including some engaged in unusual behaviour such as taking economically inefficient routes or sailing well outside recognised shipping lanes.
[ Dramatic increase in number of Russian ‘shadow ships’ in Irish-controlled watersOpens in new window ]
Early on Tuesday the oil tanker Velmar entered the Irish EEZ before sailing down the west coast. It was placed under EU, US and UK sanctions earlier this year for transporting Russian oil to India.
According to records from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), it has changed its flag six times so far this year and its flag status is now “unknown”.
Another oil tanker, the Fina A, spent the first half of the week sailing north up the west coast, taking a route close to Irish territorial waters. It is subject to EU, UK and Canadian sanctions for transporting Russian oil. The IMO states it falsely flies the flag of Timor-Leste.
A third oil tanker, the Fearless, is en route south, near the edge ofIreland’s EEZ. It is also subject to EU, US and UK sanctions and falsely flies the flag of Gambia.
Shadow fleet vessels are closely tracked by the Coast Guard and Defence Forces. The three vessels in the Irish EEZ this week have been remotely tracked but, due to the Zelenskiy visit, aircraft were not available to conduct physical surveillance, security sources said.
The Air Corps played a prominent role in the Ukrainian president’s visit. Its operational C295 maritime patrol aircraft loitered off the coast of Wexford and Dublin Bay during his arrival where it was responsible for communications relay and airspace monitoring.
A Garda helicopter, piloted by the Air Corps, shadowed the president’s convoy from Dublin Airport into the city.
As Mr Zelenskiy departed on Tuesday night, an Air Corps PC-12 aircraft flew in circuits off Wexford, likely acting as a communications relay.
The Air Corps formed part of a large security operation put in place to ensure the visit passed off without incident. The security operation was seen as a rehearsal for the hosting of the EU presidency next year with dozens of high-profile events planned, including a summit of European leaders.
