[Goose]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/estonia-says-...45484.html

So a new "tanker war" is (in slow motion) erupting. The Liberian flagged tanker was exercising its right of innocent passage through Russian waters on an internationally recognized shipping lane. Russia has detained the tanker. Several NATO nations have done the same to tankers carrying Russia oil but flying flags of convenience. The article says that Estonia will from now on "guide" vessels leaving its ports through the shallower Estonian territorial waters to avoid this problem. Russia cannot do the same because their territorial waters do not reach the North Sea.

Russia can export oil through the Black Sea route with the territorial waters of Türkiye being the only obstacle to reaching international waters. I doubt Türkiye would seize any of these "grey market" tankers. The Straight of Gibraltar is also a bottleneck, but I doubt Morocco would stop such vessels either.  I also seriously doubt Egypt would stop such ships usage of the Suez Canal (unless their credit was no good :-) That is why I suggested in a previous post that stopping such vessels in international waters may be required in order to close the "grey market" loophole. Of course, that carries with it potential serious consequences. It is an act of war, but the offended party is the nation where the vessel is registered and whose flag it flies. That would not be Russia.

[Goose]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/estonia-says-...45484.html

So a new "tanker war" is (in slow motion) erupting. The Liberian flagged tanker was exercising its right of innocent passage through Russian waters on an internationally recognized shipping lane. Russia has detained the tanker. Several NATO nations have done the same to tankers carrying Russia oil but flying flags of convenience. The article says that Estonia will from now on "guide" vessels leaving its ports through the shallower Estonian territorial waters to avoid this problem. Russia cannot do the same because their territorial waters do not reach the North Sea.

Russia can export oil through the Black Sea route with the territorial waters of Türkiye being the only obstacle to reaching international waters. I doubt Türkiye would seize any of these "grey market" tankers. The Straight of Gibraltar is also a bottleneck, but I doubt Morocco would stop such vessels either.  I also seriously doubt Egypt would stop such ships usage of the Suez Canal (unless their credit was no good :-) That is why I suggested in a previous post that stopping such vessels in international waters may be required in order to close the "grey market" loophole. Of course, that carries with it potential serious consequences. It is an act of war, but the offended party is the nation where the vessel is registered and whose flag it flies. That would not be Russia.