half of the tankers stopped transporting Russian oil due to sanctions – Kommersant

Of the 50 tankers that have come under US sanctions since October 2023, about half have stopped transporting oil from Russia, reports Bloomberg. This, as the agency writes, confirms that tightening restrictions makes it possible to put pressure on Moscow.

According to Bloomberg, after the restrictions were introduced, 18 tankers picked up the cargo, nine of which were shuttle vessels. The same number received fuel as usual. Another seven tankers were idle before they were included in the sanctions list. The remaining 21 did not load fuel.

Between December 10 and December 12, eight vessels were added to the sanctions list. Another 24 tankers were sanctioned on December 20, when the US imposed restrictions on Sun Ship Management, which manages the transferred Sovcomflot oil tankers. On January 18, UAE-based Hennesea Holdings Ltd., which owns 18 vessels, was sanctioned. On February 8, restrictions were introduced against the 50th tanker of the Liberian company NS Leader Shipping Incorporated.

The US Treasury Department, as reported by the agency, reported that the restrictions “achieve both goals”: ​​depriving Russia of profits from fuel sales and influencing the stability of energy markets. At the same time, Moscow continues to use a shadow fleet, which makes it impossible to say with certainty how much it will suffer.

In December 2023, the United States and other G7 countries announced stricter measures to monitor compliance with the price ceiling for Russian oil ($60 per barrel). The tightening of sanctions is accompanied by the introduction of restrictions on shipping companies transporting raw materials from Russia.

The news is being updated.

Read more in the Kommersant article. “Sokol landed in China”.

Petr Buzlaev