This article is devoted to the analysis of the legal nature and evolution of the flag of convenience institution in international maritime law, as well as its transformation under contemporary geopolitical challenges. The study examines the restructuring of flag of convenience practices by Russian shipowners subject to sanctions, which has resulted in the formation of so-called «shadow fleet». Within this framework, a comparative analysis is carried out of the European Inion’s sanctions legislation and the relevant resolutions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) aimed at suppressing «shadow fleet» activities. The purpose of this analysis is to identify contradictions between certain provisions and the fundamental principles of international maritime law, as well as to document the escalation of the conflict, reflected in an increasing number of terrorist acts and acts of sabotage against civilian vessels affiliated with the Russian Federation. The novelty of the research lies in substantiating the transformation of the classical flag of convenience institution into a mechanism for the formation of a shadow fleet, and in identifying systemic legal conflicts between the European Union’s sanctions mechanisms and the norms of international maritime law. The finding of the study indicate the practice of using flags of convenience constitutes a traditional institution if international law grounded in the norms of international maritime law. The Russian Federation’s shadow fleet, operating within the framework of this institution, is legitimate under existing international legal norms. Consequently, activities directed at countering the shadow fleet contravene the fundamental principles and rules of international maritime law, thereby creating a global threat of navigation and destabilization the legal order is sea.
Anastasiya Sergeevna Zubrilina (Sun,) studied this question.