A Russian civilian tanker has installed an automated machinegun, Estonian surveillance images show, prompting concerns that European interceptions of Moscow's shadow-fleet ships may become more dangerous. There have long been rumours that Russian-flagged ships have started to take on their own security, said Joshua Hutchinson, managing director of intelligence and risk at maritime security firm Ambrey.“This is evidence of implementation,” Mr Hutchinson told The National. “It’s the first time this has been documented.”Moscow believes a fully automated machinegun will lessen the threat of drones or boardings, Mr Hutchinson said. “The broader shipping industry has repeatedly asked for increased weapons capabilities to address new threats. Well, here it is. Do you like it?”The LNG tanker Marshal Vasilevskiy is the first Russian vessel documented to have installed extra weapons. ReutersInfoThe images show a machinegun standing at a sandbag-protected post. They “were taken this spring on the Baltic Sea … within Estonia's area of responsibility”, a representative of the Estonian Police and Border Guard service said this week.The tanker's weaponry is part of a growing trend of Russia strengthening the security of its ships as western nations step up interceptions, observers say. There have been earlier media reports of Russian watchmen on shadow fleet tankers in the Baltic Sea. Russia's shadow fleet – tankers used to export oil while evading international sanctions – has been the target of five interceptions by French marines since September. The UK carried out its first interception last month, arresting an Indian citizen. Russia says these operations are illegal.Not deterredThe French armed forces told The National that weapons such as those observed in the Estonian surveillance footage would not deter France.France operates in compliance with Article 110 of the Law of the Sea, which authorises naval forces to conduct flag verification, said Guillaume Vernet, spokesman for the Chief of the Defence Staff. “When a vessel deploys heavy weaponry – such as the 12.7mm or 14.5mm guns visible in the photo – it effectively signals that it is likely in violation of the law, which actually makes our search efforts easier,” he added.Speaking in June after France seized The Deliver off the coast of Sicily, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “We will not allow the shadow fleet to evade sanctions and fund Russia's war effort. Europe is determined.” The Deliver was falsely flying a Cameroonian flag and was sailing from Primorsk, Russia, French authorities said.Unique shipThe ship in the Estonian surveillance images is the liquefied natural gas tanker Marshal Vasilevskiy, which is unique to the Russian fleet, according to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, a US-based NGO. The French Navy intercepts a tanker in June off the coast of Sicily. Photo: Emmanuel Macron / XInfoThe Gazprom-owned ship can convert LNG back to its gaseous state and again to LNG if needed. It was inaugurated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in January 2019 as a backup supply route for the militarised Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, in case pipeline gas deliveries through Nato member Lithuania are disrupted. The Marshal Vasilevskiy plays an important role in supplying gas to Kaliningrad, between Poland and Lithuania. It had sanctions imposed by ​the UK in October 2024, by Canada in February 2025 and Australia in December 2025. Gazprom Flot was ​placed under sanctions by the ‌EU in April.Its newly acquired weapons are an apparent deterrent to potential adversaries.“It’s specifically aimed at authorities who might consider boarding this ship,” Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen, a Danish naval commander and defence analyst, told the OCCRP’s media partner, Danwatch. “All of this is quite dangerous.”Dangerous interceptionsAs part of its route to Kaliningrad, the Marshal Vasilevskiy sails along the coastline of Estonia. In the past year, Estonia became the first Baltic state to board a ship that was part of Russia's shadow fleet. But Estonia stopped doing this after a second attempt failed when Russia sent a fighter ​jet as a warning over the Baltic Sea. Tallinn has since considered the risk of escalation to be too high.Nine suspected Russian shadow fleet oil tankers, with opaque ownership and sailing under flags of convenience ​to avert western sanctions imposed since the start of the war in Ukraine, have been seized across ‌Europe this year.Russia has said it will not allow what it describes as a “blockade” of its maritime routes.“It is crucial to ensure the timely dispersal and combat readiness of the [Russian] fleet, its ability to counter the full spectrum of threats,” Nikolai Patrushev, Mr Putin's aide on maritime affairs, said in an interview published on June 15.