Russian tankers passed through NATO Baltic Sea waters using fake certificates
Russian tankers from the so-called shadow fleet used false certificates to pass through NATO waters in the Baltic Sea. The Danish media group Danwatch and the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK investigated and discovered this.
Fake security certificates
At least 76 tankers from the Russian "shadow fleet" were able to freely transit through NATO waters in the Baltic Sea due to fake security certificates.
The investigation by Danwatch and NRK revealed that these documents were issued by the company Ro Marine, which posed as Norwegian, though it was Russian-owned.
It was discovered that Ro Marine did not conduct any financial operations, and its structure listed only one person, a board member with Bulgarian citizenship. The company's owner is 41-year-old Andrey Mochalin, who worked in the Norwegian insurance sector for many years and currently resides in St. Petersburg.
Fake licenses and addresses
The insurance certificates were issued based on an alleged 2016 license from the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA), which also turned out to be fake. In reality, Ro Marine did not exist at that time.
The company also claimed that it had offices in the Norwegian Shipowners' Association building in Oslo, which was false. The association repeatedly attempted to contact Ro Marine, demanding that they correct the false information, but to no avail.
In March, Norwegian police launched an investigation into possible sanctions evasion. Charges have been brought against Mochalin, the Bulgarian board member, and two Norwegian businessmen collaborating with Ro Marine. It is unknown if anyone has been detained.
Scale of the fraud
Journalists determined that Ro Marine issued fake certificates for at least 255 vessels. The company added a new tanker to its registry even after the fraud was exposed. At least eight oil tankers presented Ro Marine certificates during inspections in the Gulf of Finland, yet no one suspected forgery.
The Baltic Sea is responsible for between one-third and half of Russian oil exports.
