The Belgian government has imposed a surety of €10,020,000 on the oil tanker Ethera, linked to Russia’s shadow fleet, after it was seized in the port of Zeebrugge on 1 March.
The vessel, en route from Morocco to Saint Petersburg, was boarded overnight during a coordinated intervention involving 93 Belgian soldiers, prepared in collaboration with French forces. Inspectors from the Directorate-General for Shipping identified 45 violations, mostly related to false certificates and technical defects, after discovering the tanker was sailing under a false Guinean flag.
The 21-member crew, including a Russian captain, seven officers of Indian, Georgian, and Indonesian origin, and 13 other Indian crew members, must remain on board under a “passenger ban,” meaning they cannot disembark or enter Belgian territory.
The tanker will only be allowed to leave once the surety is paid and a follow-up inspection confirms full compliance with all regulations.