UK Implements Major Sanctions Against Russia’s Shadow Fleet

On Thursday, Britain has revealed that it will sanction Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers, which are employed to bypass Western oil export embargoes following the invasion of Ukraine.

This latest action prohibits 18 ships from entering UK ports and accessing British maritime services, raising the total number of sanctioned vessels to 43.

Experts indicate that this so-called ghost fleet, often operating under opaque ownership and lacking proper insurance, enables the Kremlin to continue oil exports despite sanctions and a price cap on global sales.

The UK has also warned that this shadow fleet poses environmental risks and threatens coastlines due to severe safety standard violations.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) stated that these sanctions aim to “starve Putin’s war machine of crucial revenues.” They noted that many of the sanctioned ships have been left idling outside ports.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasized his commitment to constraining the Kremlin, stating, “I have made it my personal mission to tighten the net around Putin and his mafia state using every tool at my disposal.”

However, a recent report from the Kyiv School of Economics revealed that the volume of Russian oil exported via shadow tankers nearly doubled to 4.1 million barrels per day in the year leading up to June 2024.

Despite Western sanctions, around 70 percent of Russian oil exports by sea are now handled by ghost tankers.

The new UK sanctions also target four LNG tankers and the Russian gas company Rusgazdobycha JSC.