European countries are considering seizing Russian oil tankers in the Baltic Sea following incidents involving Moscow's sanctions-busting "shadow fleet."Legislation is being drafted to allow the legal seizure of the ships on environmental or piracy grounds, according to Politico, citing European Union diplomats and government officials.There have been incidents such as a undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia being damaged in December in suspected sabotage. And Helsinki said Monday that it was preparing for a potential oil spill in the Gulf of Finland following an explosion on a tanker in Russia's northwestern Leningrad region.Newsweek has contacted the EU and the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.Why It MattersMoscow set up the shadow fleet to circumvent G7 and EU-led sanctions on Russian seaborne oil, which imposed a $60-a-barrel cap aimed at curbing energy revenues for the country's energy exports.Russia has continued to transport the commodity via an aging fleet whose links to Moscow are hidden, often through shell companies. The EU has been struggling to clamp down on the Russian vessels, which not only allow Moscow to earn export revenues but pose a significant environmental threat.What To KnowEuropean countries are holding talks on how to seize Moscow's oil-exporting tankers in the Baltic Sea, according to Politico.Among proposals include legislation to seize vessels on environmental or piracy grounds, as well as national laws that would allow the countries themselves to go after Russian vessels further out at sea.Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna told Politico that 50 percent of Russia's sanctioned oil is transiting the Gulf of Finland as he noted attacks on undersea infrastructure.In December, Finnish authorities seized the Eagle S ship, which was carrying 100,000 barrels of oil from St. Petersburg, suspecting it had sabotaged a subsea power link connecting Estonia to Finland.Other incidents involving Russian vessels have sparked alarm. On December 15, 2024, two Russian oil tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, sank in the Kerch Strait, between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, off the coast of Crimea, prompting fears of an ecological disaster.On Monday, Finland's Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said that his country had increased its oil spill response readiness following an explosion in the engine room of the tanker Koala at the port of Ust-Luga, west of St. Petersburg.Russia's Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport (Rosmorrechflot) said the incident happened on Saturday and the crew evacuated the ship, which sails under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda.Among the proposals in which the EU would be asked to coordinate are grabbing vessels that risk damaging the environment, such as through oil spills and using piracy laws to seize ships threatening critical undersea infrastructureIf international law fails, countries are also discussing jointly imposing national laws to make it easier to seize ships, such as requiring tankers in the Baltic Sea to use a prescribed list of credible insurers.What People Are SayingEstonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna told Politico: "Close to 50 percent of sanctioned trade [in Russian seaborne oil] is going through the Gulf of Finland … there are the environmental threats, there are the attacks we've had against our undersea infrastructure."Isaak Hurst, principal attorney at the International Maritime Group law firm, told Politico: "It's absolutely going to be challenged under international law."What Happens NextWhile the latest U.S. sanctions have stranded vessels carrying Russian oil off the coast of China, international frustration is likely to grow at Moscow continuing to transport its oil through a "shadow fleet."However, Politico reported that the European proposals to tackle the trade could face legal retaliation from Russia, high costs and difficult logistics, and navigating global shipping laws.