Putin’s shadow fleet under attack: EU blocks 41 more tankers

On December 18, the European Union decided to introduce new restrictive measures against the Russian “shadow fleet”, adding 41 more oil tankers to the sanctions list.

This is stated in the statement of the Council of the EU.

The Council of the European Union noted that these are vessels that play a key role in securing Russia’s energy revenues and help Moscow circumvent established international restrictions, in particular the oil price cap mechanism.

All 41 vessels were banned from calling at EU ports, as well as from using a wide range of services related to maritime transport, including insurance, technical maintenance and brokerage operations.

Brussels emphasized that the sanctions are primarily aimed at tankers that are not under the jurisdiction of EU states, but are part of the so-called “Putin’s shadow fleet.” Such vessels are used not only to circumvent oil restrictions, but also to support the Russian energy sector, transport military equipment, and transport stolen Ukrainian grain and cultural values from temporarily occupied territories.

Taking into account the new decision, the total number of Russian shadow fleet vessels under EU sanctions has approached 600.

The EU Council emphasized that the European Union is ready to continue to increase pressure on Russia, in particular by expanding sanctions against the entire value chain of the shadow fleet.

Recall that Russia’s oil export revenues in November fell to their lowest level since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

As reported, the G7 countries and the European Union are negotiating a complete ban on the maritime transportation of Russian oil, which could replace the current price cap mechanism.

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