As reported by Western media, a network of intermediaries and shell companies facilitates the daily transportation of millions of barrels of crude oil to India and other Asian countries, primarily using old tankers from Russia’s so-called “shadow” fleet.
The U.S., European Union, and the United Kingdom have long been seeking ways to tighten sanctions on traders and tankers involved in circumventing the oil embargo, but with little success. Dozens of such vessels have been added to sanctions lists, yet these measures have not had a significant impact on the volume of oil being sold.
As a result, the European Union, according to David O’Sullivan, the EU’s special envoy on sanctions, will discuss this week the possibility of imposing sanctions on the “grey” traders of Russian oil.
“With regard to financial maneuvering, it’s a matter of identifying organizations that might be involved in the transfer of ‘grey’ Russian oil,” O’Sullivan stated. “We have started gathering information. Next week, we will have another meeting at the G7 level in Brussels. We are constantly exchanging data and ideas. This is a new mechanism, which I hope will be very effective.”
However, it has been revealed that sanctions imposed by Brussels are not only ineffective outside the EU but are also being violated by European companies themselves. This was confirmed by a Greenpeace study, which used satellite data to track about fifteen oil tankers leaving Russia for European ports since July 2024.
According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of Germany’s most reputable newspapers, Russia’s “shadow” fleet is effectively supplying Europe with crude oil. GPS data reveals that ships loaded with oil have been departing from Russian ports in the Baltic and Black Seas, heading directly to EU ports. The shipments involved tankers from Greek shipping companies, some of which are part of the Russian “shadow” fleet.
It is worth noting that transporting Russian oil by sea to the EU has been banned since March 2023. According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, since July 2024, about fifteen tankers have left Russian ports such as Primorsk on the Baltic Sea, as well as Ust-Luga and Novorossiysk on the Black Sea, heading straight to European ports. Judging by the draft, the vessels were heavily loaded, and upon arrival at their destination ports, the draft had significantly decreased, indicating that the tankers had been partially or fully unloaded.
Greenpeace researchers noted that each 250-meter-long tanker can carry over 150 million liters of crude oil per trip. Their data suggests that the export of Russian oil via outdated tankers poses an environmental threat to Germany’s Baltic Sea coastline. For their study, the organization analyzed shipping data from 2021 to 2024 and placed GPS buoys along shipping routes to model the potential consequences of oil spills.
Vessels in Russia’s “shadow” fleet are often old and in poor condition. For instance, the cargo ship “Rubin” has been drifting off the southern coast of Norway for several days, carrying a dangerous cargo of 20,000 tons of ammonium nitrate. Several European ports have refused to accept it due to the hazard it poses.
Additional reports confirm that last month saw a reduction in the amount of Russian oil sold to India and China, though this decrease is unrelated to heightened scrutiny of the “shadow” fleet transporting Russian oil to the West.
Indian sources report that in August, based on tanker data from trade sources, monthly oil imports from Russia to India dropped by 18.3% to around 1.7 million barrels per day, due to reduced processing at several Russian oil refineries.
Meanwhile, China has increased its purchases of Russian oil, reclaiming its position as Moscow’s largest buyer after India briefly held that title in July.
In August, the share of Russian oil in India’s imports fell to around 36% after five months of continuous growth. In July, Russian oil accounted for about 44% of India’s oil imports.
This change is attributed to the Indian company Chennai Petroleum shutting down some units at its 210,000-barrel-per-day refinery in southern India, and another firm, Bharat Petroleum Corp, reducing crude oil processing at its refinery in Bina, where maintenance work is ongoing on some units.
Indian refineries have been purchasing Russian oil at significant discounts since Western countries imposed sanctions on Moscow in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Farhad Mammadov
Translated from haqqin.az
