The shadow fleet
Vessels moving oil and cargo outside the reach of flag states and insurers, and what a coastal state may lawfully do about them under UNCLOS.
Wilhelmina Lindroos
International law and maritime security
I study public international law, and I am writing my master’s thesis on where the law of the sea runs out of answers. The Baltic is the case in front of me: a shadow fleet moving oil outside the reach of flag states and insurers, cables and pipelines on the seabed, and coastal states working out how far their enforcement powers actually reach.
NowMaster’s thesis in progress at Åbo Akademi University
Based inTurku, Finland
LanguagesSwedish (native), Finnish, English, French
What I work on
My master’s thesis research plan examines the legal friction between UNCLOS freedom of navigation and coastal state enforcement regarding the shadow fleet and critical subsea infrastructure. It is built on critical discourse analysis of CBSS, NATO and HELCOM documents and interviews to be conducted with senior diplomatic leadership.
Subsea infrastructure
Cables and pipelines as critical infrastructure: who protects them, who repairs them, and how the law treats deliberate interference. My bachelor’s thesis covered submarine cable sabotage in the Baltic under UNCLOS.
Regional frameworks
How the CBSS, NATO and HELCOM answer the same questions in different registers, read against the treaty text with critical discourse analysis.
Where I have worked
Seasonal work alongside full-time study, mostly on the Åland ferry route and in the water.
- Ticket Sales Agent, seasonal2023 to 2026Viking Line Terminal, Mariehamn, Åland
Car and passenger check-in at Mariehamn and Långnäs on day and night shifts, passenger security screening, boarding control, and departures closed to a fixed timetable.
- Swimming Instructor, seasonal2023 to 2026Folkhälsan i Houtskär
Swimming and water safety for groups of about ten children at a beach school in the Turku archipelago, leading assistants and adapting lessons for children with additional needs.
- Swimming Instructor, seasonal2026Folkhälsan i Åboland, Turku
Pool lessons for children aged 5 to 7, including first lessons in the water, alongside the lead instructor.
- Family Swim Instructor2024Team Sportia, Turku
Parent-and-infant and family sessions run in Swedish, Finnish and English, including for migrant families.
- Waitress, seasonal2022Golfrestaurangen i Kastelholm and Smakbyn, Åland
High-volume service through the Åland peak season, with daily cash reconciliation and an independent sales kiosk.
Education
2025 to present
Master’s Degree in International Law and Human Rights
Åbo Akademi University, Department of Social Sciences · Minor in International Relations. Thesis research plan on the shadow fleet and critical subsea infrastructure.
2022 to 2025
Bachelor of Social Science, Public International Law
Åbo Akademi University · Minor in Public Administration. Thesis on submarine cable sabotage in the Baltic Sea under UNCLOS.
2019 to 2022
Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate
Katedralskolan i Åbo · Matriculation Examination.
Languages
- Swedish · mother tongue
- Finnish · C2 listening, C1 reading, B2 spoken, B1 writing
- English · C1 listening, C2 reading, C1 spoken, C2 writing
- French · B1
Swimming teacher training (Folkhälsan i Åboland, 2023, EQF 4): water rescue, CPR and first aid, recertified annually to the FSL/SUH standard.
Get in touch
I am glad to hear about research, policy and maritime-sector work, and about traineeships in international law. Email is the quickest way to reach me.
wlolindroos@gmail.com