A recent joint investigation by Danwatch and Norway’s NRK has revealed that at least 76 Russian oil tankers from the so-called shadow fleet used fake insurance documents to travel through NATO member state waters in the Baltic Sea.
These certificates were provided by a front company called Ro Marine, which claimed to be based in Norway. In reality, it was run by 41-year-old Russian national Andrey Mochalin, who lives in St. Petersburg and previously worked in Norway’s insurance industry.
The investigation showed that Ro Marine was essentially a shell company—it had no actual business activity, no financial transactions, and just one listed employee, a Bulgarian national on the board of directors.
Ro Marine falsely claimed to be licensed by Norway’s Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA), referring to a permit supposedly issued in 2016. But investigators discovered the license was forged—the company didn’t even exist at that time. The document referenced nonexistent laws and was signed by someone who had never worked for the FSA.
The FSA began looking into the matter in September 2024, after an insurance company in Ghana asked them to verify one of Ro Marine's certificates. According to the FSA, the document clearly showed signs of being fake.
The company also listed the address of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association on its website and documents—without permission. The association tried several times to contact Ro Marine and asked them to remove the address but received no reply.
On March 21, 2025, Norwegian police raided one of the listed addresses in Oslo. Four people were charged with document forgery—Mochalin, the Bulgarian board member, and two Norwegian business associates. It’s still unknown whether any of them have been taken into custody.
Investigators found that Ro Marine issued certificates to at least 255 vessels, including ships linked to Russia’s shadow fleet. Some of these vessels traveled through NATO waters—with fake paperwork—without raising red flags. In fact, eight Russian tankers passed inspection in the Gulf of Finland while using Ro Marine certificates.
Even after media inquiries and some ships being removed from its site, Ro Marine added a new Russian tanker to its registry. The company's website is managed from St. Petersburg, and its branding was created by a Russian design firm.
Experts interviewed by Danwatch and NRK said the case poses a serious risk to global maritime safety and environmental standards.
Insurance providers are responsible for ensuring that ships meet safety requirements, which helps prevent accidents. But Ro Marine completely bypassed this system, allowing vessels to operate without proper checks.
Back in February, Politico reported that the EU was preparing a major crackdown on Russia’s shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea. The plan includes new legal measures to stop old or uninsured tankers, especially as almost half of Russia’s sanctioned oil exports are believed to move through the Gulf of Finland.
