Archive
Shadow fleet news in 2022
13 summaries of reporting on sanctioned seaborne trade in 2022, newest first.
Dec · Nov · Sep · Jul · Jun · May · Apr · Mar
December 2022
- EU says Turkish insurance checks, not price cap, behind Bosphorus tanker queue
The European Commission said on 9 December that Turkey's new insurance checks, not the G7 price cap on Russian oil, were behind a build-up of tankers waiting to pass through the Bosphorus,…
- EU sets $60 price cap on Russian seaborne crude from 5 December
The Council of the EU on 3 December set a price cap of $60 a barrel on crude oil originating in or exported from Russia, applicable from 5 December and agreed with the Price Cap Coalition. An…
- Russia has acquired more than 100 tankers to build a shadow fleet, FT reports
Russia has directly or indirectly acquired more than 100 tankers over the past year to build a "shadow fleet" ahead of the EU ban on seaborne Russian oil and the G7 price cap, the Financial…
November 2022
- US licence lets Chevron resume limited oil operations in Venezuela
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control on 26 November issued Venezuela General Licence 41, allowing Chevron to resume limited natural resource extraction in the country. The move…
- Iran frees Greek tankers Delta Poseidon and Prudent Warrior as Lana leaves Greece
Iran has released the Greek-flagged tankers Delta Poseidon and Prudent Warrior, seized in the Gulf in May, Greece's shipping ministry said on 16 November, according to Reuters. Iran had detained…
- US sanctions oil smuggling network and 11 vessels over Hezbollah and Qods Force funding
The US Treasury on 3 November designated four individuals, about 24 entities and 11 vessels in an oil smuggling network that it says generated revenue for Hezbollah and Iran's IRGC-Qods Force.…
September 2022
- US sanctions network shipping Iranian petrochemicals to Asia, naming tanker Gas Allure
The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control on 29 September sanctioned an international network it says moved hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of Iranian petrochemicals and…
July 2022
- Greek Supreme Court upholds release of Iranian oil on tanker Lana
Greece's Supreme Court on 26 July declined to overturn a June lower-court ruling that released an Iranian crude cargo and ordered it returned to the tanker Lana, The Maritime Executive reports.…
June 2022
- EU adopts sixth sanctions package with phased ban on Russian oil imports
The Council of the EU adopted a sixth sanctions package against Russia on 3 June, banning the purchase, import or transfer into the EU of Russian crude oil and certain petroleum products. The…
May 2022
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards seize two Greek tankers in the Gulf
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on 27 May they had seized two Greek oil tankers in the Gulf over unspecified violations, Al-Monitor reports. Greece's foreign ministry called the move piracy and…
April 2022
- UN panel finds illicit oil deliveries to North Korea continue via ship-to-ship transfers
A UN Panel of Experts report says illicit refined petroleum deliveries to North Korea fell sharply in 2021 but evasion networks remain active, Global Trade Review reports. Satellite images…
- EU fifth sanctions package bars Russian-flagged vessels from its ports
The Council of the EU adopted a fifth package of sanctions against Russia on 8 April that prohibits access to EU ports for vessels registered under the Russian flag. Derogations apply to…
March 2022
- UK bans Russian-linked ships from its ports
The UK government on 1 March banned Russian ships from British ports as part of a new round of sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. The ban covers vessels owned or operated by anyone…