Six Russian oil tankers still under construction at Russia's Zvezda shipyard have been targeted by U.S. sanctions imposed last week, Reuters reported on Jan. 17.
The latest sanctions targeted over 180 oil-carrying vessels of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," a group of aging tankers routinely used for sanction evasion. Several of these vessels are also reportedly involved in transporting sanctioned Iranian oil.
For the first time, Washington imposed a ban on the use of tankers even before they went to sea or transported sanctioned cargo.
The sanctions will impact named vessels including the Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Alexander Beggrov, the Alexey Bogolyubov, as well as three yet to be named vessels listed as Zvezda 131080, Zvezda 131060, and Zvezda 131040, according to Reuters.
The Alexander Beggrov and Alexey Bogolyubov were purchased by the Russian company Sovcomflot. The other four tankers were bought by Rosneft's shipping division Rosnefteflot. Both buyers of the vessels are under sanctions.
Experts cited by Reuters said the latest measures drove up prices of tankers as demand for non-sanctioned vessels grew.
The outgoing Biden administration has taken steps to undermine Russian oil exports, which are one of the key fuels of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Recent sanctions also targeted two of Russia's major oil producers, Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz, along with dozens of their subsidiaries.
Combined, these companies reportedly produce over 1 million barrels of oil daily, generating an estimated $23 billion of revenue annually, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
Oleg Sukhov
