A Russian civilian tanker has installed an automated machinegun, Estonian surveillance images show, prompting concerns that European interceptions of Moscow's shadow fleet ships may become more dangerous.
There have long been rumours that Russian-flagged ships have started to take on their own security, said Joshua Hutchinson, managing director of intelligence and risk at maritime security firm Ambrey.
"This is evidence of implementation," Mr Hutchinson told The National. "It’s the first time this has been documented."
Moscow believes a fully automated machinegun will lessen the threat of drones or boardings, Mr Hutchinson said. "The broader shipping industry has repeatedly asked for increased weapons capabilities to address new threats. Well, here it is. Do you like it?"
The images show a machinegun standing at a sandbag-protected post. They "were taken this spring on the Baltic Sea ... within Estonia's area of responsibility", a representative of the Estonian Police and Border Guard service said this week.
Unique ship
The ship in the surveillance images is the LNG tanker Marshal Vasilevskiy, which is unique to the Russian fleet, according to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a US-based NGO.
The Gazprom-owned ship can convert LNG back to its gaseous state and again to LNG if needed. It was inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in January 2019 as a back-up supply route for the militarised Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, in case pipeline gas deliveries through Nato member Lithuania are disrupted.
The Marshal Vasilevskiy plays an important role in supplying gas to Kaliningrad, between Poland and Lithuania. It had sanctions imposed by the UK in October 2024, by Canada in February 2025 and Australia in December 2025. Gazprom Flot was placed under sanctions by the EU in April.
The Marshal Vasilevskiy's weaponry is part of a growing trend of Russia strengthening the security of its ships to show they are ready to defend themselves, observers say. There have been earlier media reports of Russian watchmen on shadow fleet tankers in the Baltic Sea.
"It’s specifically aimed at authorities who might consider boarding this ship,” Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen, a Danish naval commander and defence analyst, told the OCCRP’s media partner, Danwatch. "All of this is quite dangerous."
Others say this is a strong signal from Moscow despite the Marshal Vasilevskiy being unlikely to be seized because it does not fall under the category of Russia's shadow fleet – tankers used to export oil while evading sanctions.
Dangerous interceptions
As part of its route to Kaliningrad, the Marshal Vasilevskiy sails along the coastline of Estonia. Last year, Estonia became the first Baltic state to board a ship that was part of Russia's shadow fleet.
But Estonia stopped doing this after a second attempt failed when Russia sent a fighter jet as a warning over the Baltic Sea. Tallinn has since considered the risk of escalation to be too high.
Other western states have increased seizures this year, with France intercepting five suspected shadow fleet ships since September in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brittany, and further south in the Mediterranean Sea.
"We will not allow the shadow fleet to evade sanctions and fund Russia's war effort. Europe is determined," French President Emmanuel Macron said after the seizure of the Deliver in June off the coast of Sicily.
The Deliver was falsely flying a Cameroonian flag and was sailing from Primorsk, Russia, French authorities said.
The UK carried out its first interception last month, arresting an Indian citizen.
Nine suspected Russian shadow fleet oil tankers, with opaque ownership and sailing under flags of convenience to avert western sanctions imposed since the start of the Ukraine war, have been seized across Europe since the start of the year.
Russia says these seizures are illegal.
"We cannot allow the blockade of our key maritime routes. The Baltic and Black Seas handle the majority of our maritime trade," Nikolai Patrushev, Mr Putin's aide on maritime affairs, said in an interview published on June 15.
"It is crucial to ensure the timely dispersal and combat readiness of the [Russian] fleet, its ability to counter the full spectrum of threats."
