Belgians Catch Russian Oil Smugglers — Liepāja Port Workers Smile
A Russian shadow fleet tanker was intercepted in the North Sea, but Liepāja port specialists have long known how to spot suspicious ships.
A Belgian special forces unit intercepted a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the North Sea on Saturday night. Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévot praised his people's professionalism, but as one Liepāja resident says: 'What's the big deal — we here in Karosta see every day what's floating where. One time even fisherman Jānis from Pērkone noticed some ship glowing strangely at night. Turned out — contraband.'
Defense Minister Theo Francken announced that the intercepted tanker will be taken to the port of Zeebrugge. For comparison — if such a ship had tried to sneak into Liepāja port, local workers would have spotted it during their morning coffee break. 'We don't need special units here,' comments one port worker. 'Old Miķelis is enough — he's worked as a cargo operator for 40 years. He sees through all fake flags.'
Russia has been using aging tankers with unclear ownership for years to circumvent sanctions. This reminds us of the situation in Riga, where they also constantly try to hide and mask everything, but never quite succeed. In Liepāja we are direct and clear — if something's not right, we see it immediately.
The Belgian operation was carried out in cooperation with G7 and Baltic partners. Hopefully next time these partners will also consult with Liepāja port experts. As local sailor Arturs says: 'The Belgians did well, but if they had asked us, we would have explained how to distinguish a real ship from a Russian junk ship just by the engine sound.'
⚠️ Satirical article. Facts are preserved, but the presentation is humorous. For accurate information, please refer to the original source.