Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree to implement the decision of the National Security and Defense Council regarding sanctions against 91 maritime vessels belonging to the so-called shadow fleet of the Russian Federation.
This is reported by Finway
Activities of the Shadow Fleet and International Involvement
These vessels were used to transport oil and petroleum products from Russian ports, including Novorossiysk, Ust-Luga, and Primorsk, to third countries, circumventing the sanctions of the European Union, G7, and other states. Monitoring results indicate that such shipments were carried out in the waters of the Black, Red, and Baltic Seas.
“The Russian Federation used these vessels to transport oil and petroleum products from Russian ports, specifically in Novorossiysk, Ust-Luga, and Primorsk, to third countries. This occurred in violation of the sanctions imposed by the European Union, G7, and other states. Monitoring results in the Black, Red, and Baltic Seas confirm this,” the statement reads.
The sanctioned vessels sail under the flags of nearly 20 countries. Of these, only one ship was flying the Russian flag, while the others were under the flags of Panama, Liberia, Cameroon, Barbados, the Marshall Islands, Hong Kong, Sierra Leone, Tonga, Palau, Guinea, the Comoros, the Bahamas, Indonesia, Malawi, Guinea-Bissau, Djibouti, Guyana, and Eswatini.
International Cooperation to Strengthen Sanctions
Ukraine plans to share relevant information with the countries whose flags were used by these vessels and is working on further coordination of sanctions with international partners. Of the 91 vessels that fell under Ukrainian sanctions, 27 are already sanctioned by the USA, the UK, Switzerland, and the European Union. Efforts to implement restrictive measures for the remaining 64 vessels are ongoing.
Advisor and Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vasyuk emphasized that the identification of the shadow fleet tankers and the imposition of sanctions against them must occur as quickly as possible.
“Shadow fleet tankers are a key tool for circumventing oil sanctions, so their identification and the imposition of sanctions against them must happen swiftly and without exceptions. Each such vessel should be viewed as a component of financing the Russian war machine,” emphasized Advisor and Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy Vladyslav Vasyuk.