Western sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine and aimed at cutting its oil revenues have led to the rise of a vast "shadow fleet" of tankers helping Moscow keep its crude
Western sanctions imposed on Russia for invading Ukraine and aimed at cutting its oil revenues have led to the rise of a vast "shadow fleet" of tankers helping Moscow keep its crude exports flowing.
Here are some key points about these unregulated vessels.
WHY IS THIS FLEET IN THE NEWS?
Estonia on Tuesday tried to stop an oil tanker, which the UK sanctioned last week, for sailing without a flag against maritime rules, in international waters between Estonia and Finland in the Baltic Sea, prompting Moscow to send a fighter jet to circle around it.
The UK ordered fresh sanctions last week against up to 100 oil tankers that form "a core part of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's shadow fleet operation", it said, while the EU Commission made a similar proposal against 100 vessels, on top of 153 it had sanctioned previously.
The U.S. has also imposed multiple rounds of sanctions against the tankers that transport Russian oil.
AGEING VESSELS
There are hundreds of ageing tankers in the so-called shadow fleet, which transport Russian oil.
The vessels typically have opaque ownership structures and sail without top-tier Western insurance or safety certification cover, and they often have unknown insurers or assessors
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