The Dutch Government has submitted legislation that would allow authorities to stop, divert and detain vessels sailing without a flag or under a false flag in the Netherlands' exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Under the proposed amendment to the Foreign Ships Act, suspected “shadow fleet” vessels in the Dutch EEZ could be directed to an anchorage or port for inspection, held once in port, and their captains arrested.
The maximum prison term for sailing falsely under the flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will meanwhile increase to four years.
The bill also provides for refusing certain ships access to Dutch ports and for closing part of the territorial sea in specified circumstances.
The Dutch Government said Russia uses its shadow fleet of ageing tankers to evade international sanctions, with proceeds helping fund the war against Ukraine. It also said the vessels could be used for espionage or sabotage targeting North Sea infrastructure, including wind farms and drilling platforms, as well as data and electricity cables.
Their age and lack of insurance, it added, pose risks to maritime safety and the environment.
The Council of State, which reviewed an earlier draft, said the power to detain foreign vessels in the EEZ, "appears to have been formulated more broadly than is permitted under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea."
The government said the bill was amended so that such detentions may take place only in accordance with the convention, where a ship is believed to have breached an applicable Dutch legal provision.
The Russian Embassy in the Netherlands responded on social media the same day.
"Is The Hague ready for Russia's counteractions?” the embassy said. “As our President has made it clear, Moscow is free to mirror hostile actions against our vessels in a suitable for us manner."
The Dutch House of Representatives has scheduled a procedure meeting on the bill for Wednesday, October 14.
Belgium seized the tanker Ethera in March after finding she was sailing under a false Guinean flag, while the Estonian Navy detained the tanker Kiwala in April 2025 over suspicions she had no valid flag state.
