Ship seized by Belgian army showed ‘serious indications of sanctions evasion’
The ship boarded by the Belgian army last night was flying the flag of Guinea but was part of the Russian shadow fleet and is on the European Union’s sanctions list, Defence minister Theo Francken confirmed at a press conference in Zeebrugge on Sunday morning.
“These are not light observations,” he said. “These are serious indications of deliberate deception and evasion of sanctions.”
According to Defence chief Frederik Vansina, Belgium had been monitoring the Ethera for some time. The oil tanker gave “much indication of its participation in the operations of the shadow fleet”, including by frequently sailing between Russia and South America, regularly disabling its identification systems and sailing under different flags.
The 180m tanker was boarded shortly before midnight on Saturday in a joint operation with French partners. A total of 93 soldiers and a military dog took part. By midnight, the military had taken control of the bridge and the ship was under full control at 1:11, Vansina said. All 21 crew members have been identified. The ship has been in the port of Zeebrugge since 9:00.
“These ghost ships systematically circumvent European sanctions to transport Russian oil,” Foreign minister Maxime Prévot said on X. “Every barrel funds Russia’s war machine. Every sanction bypassed prolongs the suffering of the Ukrainian people. That is unacceptable. Russia must end this war.”
Defence chief Frederik Vansina, Defence minister Theo Francken and Justice minister Annelies Verlinden give a press conference in Zeebrugge, 1 March 2026 © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK © BELGA VIDEO
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