Third tanker carrying Russian oil catches fire at sea in a week

Explosions occurred on an oil tanker carrying Russian oil off the coast of Senegal.

This is reported by Bloomberg.

Four explosions occurred on the oil tanker Mersin near the port of Dakar. Water entered the engine room, the crew was not injured, and the ship remained in stable condition.

The ship was carrying gas oil, a product of oil refining. The tanker has called at Russian ports several times this year.

This is the third such incident in a week involving tankers transporting Russian petroleum products.

On November 29, Ukrainian naval drones attacked two sanctioned oil tankers of the Russian shadow fleet in the Black Sea. These are the vessels Kairo and Virat, which were effectively disabled after the attack.

What is known about the Russian shadow fleet?

In early December 2022, the G7 members, as well as Australia and the EU, imposed price caps on Russian oil, setting a maximum price of $60 per barrel. From February 5, 2023, these countries imposed price caps on Russian petroleum products: $100 for diesel fuel, $45 for various lubricants.

To circumvent oil sanctions, Russia has begun building a shadow fleet. This is a fleet of old tankers that turn off their beacons so that they cannot be seen by surveillance systems. These tankers are mostly operated by the Russian state-owned company Suchkomflot.

According to The Guardian’s September 2023 estimates, Russia’s shadow fleet consists of approximately 600 vessels, providing 70% of Russia’s oil exports and approximately 10% of the world’s “wet cargo” fleet. With its help, the Russian Federation transports almost 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, which brings large profits to the Kremlin.

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