The Ministry of Transport conducted an inspection of Russia's tanker fleet on behalf of President Vladimir Putin. The results of the work were reported by the head of the Ministry of Transport, Roman Starovoit.
Inspections of 1333 vessels have been completed. Violations were found on 230 vessels. The owners of the vessels on which technical condition violations were found have been given a deadline to present the vessels for unscheduled inspection in order to eliminate the identified non-conformities.
According to Roman Starovoit, 29 decisions have been made to suspend and revoke licenses. The inspection of tankers with a deadweight of over 5,000 tons is scheduled to be completed by August.
In December 2024, two tankers carrying fuel oil, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, crashed in the Kerch Strait. This led to a large-scale fuel spill in the Black Sea.
In January 2025, President Putin ordered an inspection of the condition of Russia's tanker fleet. The Ministry of Transport is also organizing inspections of shipping companies operating tankers, with a focus on compliance with mandatory requirements for the transportation of oil and petroleum products.