EU Parliament pushes for tougher sanctions on Russian oil fleet
On Thursday, the European Parliament voted on a resolution urging the Union to impose more effective sanctions on the Russian "shadow fleet." These are ships that secretly transport oil despite the restrictions. The revenue from this oil provides Vladimir Putin with funds for the war against Ukraine.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, the European Union has implemented 14 packages of sanctions against the Russian Federation. Four of these addressed oil, including its purchase, sale, and import by sea. The restrictions also targeted the "shadow fleet," which consists of old tankers used by the Kremlin to circumvent sanctions and secretly transport oil.
Despite the sanctions, Russia is estimated to continue using about 160-200 ships each month for oil transport. About $10 (CAD 14) billion has been spent on expanding the "shadow fleet," which now numbers around 600 tankers.
At Thursday's plenary session in Brussels, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) called for additional EU sanctions against Russia to prevent illegal oil trading more effectively.
Actions against the "shadow fleet" are to include imposing restrictions on specific ships, as well as their owners, operators, managers, accountants, banks, and insurance companies involved in the practice. Politicians noted that the EU has so far only listed 27 units on the sanctions list. In comparison, the UK alone has imposed sanctions on 18 Russian tankers and four LNG carriers.
Dangerous operations of the "shadow fleet" in the Baltic Sea
MEPs also demanded regular penalties for ships sailing in EU waters without valid insurance. Russia's tankers used for oil transport are often so old that they are no longer fit for service and thus do not have standard industry insurance. Their poor condition further increases the risk of maritime collisions and catastrophic oil spills.
Russian shadow tankers also frequently transfer oil and oil products "hull to hull," including in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas. By avoiding docking at ports, it is easier for them to obscure the origin of the oil, posing a significant environmental disaster threat.
Therefore, the European Parliament called on the EU to better oversee waters, particularly by monitoring them with drones and satellites and conducting regular sea inspections. The Parliament also appealed to member states to designate ports that could manage units transporting oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) under sanctions and confiscate illegal cargo.
Russia sent scrap to the Baltic Sea
These are not the end of the proposed restrictions. The European Parliament also urged the Union and member states to ban the import of all Russian fossil fuels, including LNG. As politicians argued, as long as the EU continues to import gas or coal from Russia, the sanctions against the Russian Federation and support for Ukraine will be undermined.
The European Parliament also demanded that the EU penalize third countries assisting Russia in circumventing sanctions and called on the G7 countries to enforce better the price cap imposed on Russian oil, lower its prices, and close legal loopholes allowing Moscow to repackage and sell oil and oil products at market prices.
According to European Parliament data, the "shadow fleet" movement increased significantly in 2024, with the number of trips made by Russian tankers more than doubling. A significant portion of Russian oil is transported along busy international shipping routes and sent from Baltic and Black Seas ports.
