UK announces its largest sanctions package yet against Russia's shadow fleet

The United Kingdom introduced the largest package of sanctions to date against Russia's shadow fleet of oil tankers on Thursday, 17 October.

The latest sanctions target 18 Russian oil tankers and 4 liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers, marking the most significant action against Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin's shadow fleet to date.

"18 more shadow fleet ships will be barred from UK ports and unable to access world-leading British maritime services, bringing the total number of oil tankers sanctioned to 43," the statement said.

The oil tankers targeted by the new sanctions have transported approximately US$4.9 billion worth of crude oil in the past year alone.

Sovcomflot, Russia's largest shipping company, has attempted to rename its vessels in an effort to bypass UK sanctions. The latest round of sanctions directly targets even more of its ships.

The UK is extending its sanctions to include four additional LNG tankers and the Russian gas company Rusgazdobycha.

The list of all tankers has been posted on the UK government's official website.

On 24 June, the Council of the European Union announced new sanctions against tankers belonging to Russia's shadow fleet for transporting oil.

In July, over 40 European nations agreed upon a plan to combat Russia's shadow oil fleet at the European Political Community Summit.

Meanwhile, a joint investigation by Politico and the non-profit journalism group SourceMaterial revealed at least nine cases of Russian shadow fleet vessels leaving oil spills in global waters.