UK targets Russian shadow fleet with new sanctions on oil tankers

The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Wednesday on an additional 10 ships belonging to the Russian "shadow fleet," which are vessels used to circumvent the embargo on Russian oil trade imposed by Western countries following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The communication issued by the British government emphasized that exporting oil is the most important source of revenue for Vladimir Putin's regime to finance the illegal war in Ukraine, accounting for about one-fourth of the Russian budget in 2023.

It was explained that all the sanctioned ships violate the embargo on a large scale, for example, only three of them—Nikolai Zuev, NS Asia, and Zaliw Aniwa—have transported Russian oil worth a total of over $6.6 billion CAD since the full-scale invasion began.

Ships placed on the sanctions list will not be able to enter British ports, will not be registered in the British ship registry, and if they are, they will be removed from it and may be directed to British ports for detention.

"Today's sanctions further weaken Russia's ability to trade oil through its 'shadow fleet.' Along with our partners, we will continue to send a clear message to Russia that the international community stands with Ukraine and we will not tolerate this illegal fleet," declared British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

"Russia has been forced to spend over $10.5 billion CAD to assemble this illegal fleet. However, we are determined to make Putin's investment a costly mistake for the Kremlin, as the sanctioned tankers stand idle and are unable to load oil. Our actions will help counteract Russian attempts to undermine and evade economic sanctions," he added.

The issued communication reported that the number of Russian "shadow fleet" ships sanctioned has increased to 25 and emphasized that previous sanctions have significantly hindered their operation, preventing these ships from transporting oil.