Bloomberg: pressure on Moscow has worked, half of the shadow tanker fleet has stopped transporting Russian oil
Greek tankers have also stopped trading in Russian oil due to tougher sanctions
Almost half of the tanker fleet that transported Russian oil sold above the $60 per barrel price ceiling has stopped shipping since the beginning of October, when it was hit by US sanctions, Bloomberg has found.
According to the agency, this may indicate the effectiveness of pressure on Moscow.
The publication notes that the data is still inaccurate, as the US Treasury imposes sanctions on tankers in batches.
Of the 50 tankers that have been sanctioned since 10 October, only 18 have been able to load. Nine of them are shuttle tankers that load oil from platforms or vessels for production and storage.
Another tanker, owned by Sovcomflot, is carrying crude that was loaded before the sanctions.
Seven tankers were idle before the sanctions were imposed, and three others are expected to be loaded in the near future.
Sovcomflot-controlled SUN Ship Management D Ltd. owns 24 of the sanctioned tankers, and another 18 are owned by UAE-based Hennesea Holdings Ltd.
Sovcomflot's NS Leader tanker was the last to be sanctioned on 8 February. On the day it was put on the sanctions list, it turned around off the coast of Portugal and headed for a Russian port in the Baltic.
Over the past two months, 14 tankers carrying Sokol crude oil to India have either drifted or anchored in the waters east of Singapore. Almost half of them turned around before reaching their destination, the agency said.
The tightening of sanctions has also led to Greek tankers refusing to trade in Russian oil. Greece is a major European oil carrier. In January, the number of oil delivery tankers owned by the country more than halved compared to December last year, to eight vessels.
Compared to May 2023, the number of Greek tankers transporting Russian oil has decreased fivefold.
Analysts attribute this situation to the massive notices sent by the US Treasury to foreign shipowners in November last year. After that, tanker owners began to avoid transporting Russian raw materials.
Background. Meanwhile, it has been reported that an oil terminal in Turkey has become the main hub for Russian oil supplies to Europe.
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