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Shadow Fleet examines the Russian shadow fleet—the oil tankers passing through European waters carrying sanctioned Russian oil.
The shadow fleet is both visible and invisible. The ships can be seen from the shore, yet their purpose, ownership, and routes are often obscured. Denmark’s position as the gateway to the Baltic Sea makes this passage one of the world’s most monitored maritime corridors and a crucial artery for Russian oil exports. In the narrow waterways of the Øresund Strait, global trade and geopolitics come into close view from the Danish coast. Although these waters are Danish territory, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea grants vessels the right of innocent passage.
In 2025, Danish photographer Julia Mejnertsen created this logbook of passing ships, in which oil tankers become part of a wider story of sanctions, hybrid warfare, and international trade. The vessels appear both as concrete objects and symbolic figures within a contemporary geopolitical landscape.
Shadow Fleet is a record and reflection on how we see—and overlook—the infrastructures and flows that shape global trade and conflict.
Shadow Fleet examines the Russian shadow fleet—the oil tankers passing through European waters carrying sanctioned Russian oil.
The shadow fleet is both visible and invisible. The ships can be seen from the shore, yet their purpose, ownership, and routes are often obscured. Denmark’s position as the gateway to the Baltic Sea makes this passage one of the world’s most monitored maritime corridors and a crucial artery for Russian oil exports. In the narrow waterways of the Øresund Strait, global trade and geopolitics come into close view from the Danish coast. Although these waters are Danish territory, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea grants vessels the right of innocent passage.
In 2025, Danish photographer Julia Mejnertsen created this logbook of passing ships, in which oil tankers become part of a wider story of sanctions, hybrid warfare, and international trade. The vessels appear both as concrete objects and symbolic figures within a contemporary geopolitical landscape.
Shadow Fleet is a record and reflection on how we see—and overlook—the infrastructures and flows that shape global trade and conflict.