On December 18, the EU Council imposed sanctions against 41 more vessels that are part of Russiaʼs shadow fleet of oil tankers and help Russia circumvent sanctions.
This is stated on the website of the Council of the EU.
These vessels have been banned from entering EU ports and from receiving a wide range of maritime transport services. The list includes not only oil tankers from the shadow fleet, but also vessels carrying military equipment for Russia or stolen Ukrainian grain and cultural treasures from Ukraine.
The total number of vessels on the sanctions list has almost reached 600.
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 almost 10% of the world’s “wet cargo” fleet. It transports an estimated 1.7 million barrels of oil per day, generating large profits for the Kremlin.
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