The new fifteenth package of anti-Russian sanctions from the European Union includes individual restrictions against 52 tankers from third countries transporting Russian oil. Such vessels are considered Russia's shadow fleet, and if such vessels are included in the sanctions list, they can no longer enter EU ports, locks, or anchorage areas.
Sanctioned vessels cannot be imported into or exported from the European Union. Europeans are also prohibited from participating in ship-to-ship transfers involving such vessels.
In particular, the European Union's blacklist now includes several LNG tankers, including the Christophe de Margerie LNG carrier under the flag of Panama, associated with Yamal LNG. The total number of vessels in similar EU disfavor is 79.
This is not the first time that sanctions from the US, EU, and UK have affected Russian tankers and tankers from third countries that carry Russian oil or liquefied natural gas. Bloomberg in the US conducted a study on the fate of such vessels that have been included in Western sanctions lists since October 2023. According to the publication, out of 106 such tankers under sanctions, 68 tankers are simply idle. They can be found in parking lots around the world, including near Russian ports in the Nakhodka area.
At the same time, Bloomberg notes that the remaining 38 vessels involved in earlier sanctions lists related to Russia, on the contrary, have returned to active oil transportation. In four months—from August to November 2024—these vessels managed to transport 57 cargoes.
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