HAMILTON, Canada 

Canada and several allies from the G7 and Nordic-Baltic 8 pledged on Friday to strengthen cooperation to combat the global "shadow fleet" involved in illegal and unsafe maritime activities, according to a joint statement.

The statement, released by Global Affairs Canada, followed an Oct. 8 meeting of the Shadow Fleet Task Force, co-chaired by Canada and Denmark, with participation from Belgium, Estonia, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK.

"Further to a commitment made by G7 Foreign Ministers in March 2025, we, members of the G7 and the Nordic Baltic 8 Shadow Fleet Task Force, met today to enhance our cooperation and move forward to further disrupt and deter the global shadow fleet engaged in illegal, unsafe or environmentally perilous activities," it said.

The group said such practices "pose significant risks to the safety of global shipping and to fragile marine and coastal environments."

"We remain deeply concerned by the rise of unsafe and illicit shipping practices by certain operators, with the willing collaboration or negligent oversight of certain state actors," the statement said, vowing continued cooperation and information-sharing to address the threat.