As the UK government vows to take “assertive action” against Russian vessels evading sanctions, dozens of oil tankers blacklisted by British authorities have continued to navigate the English Channel this month, underscoring the challenges in enforcing such measures.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has relied on a fleet of aging tankers with obscured ownership, known as the “shadow fleet”, to transport its oil exports and circumvent Western sanctions. The BBC has tracked 42 sanctioned tankers passing through the Channel after the UK received legal assurances earlier this month that such vessels could be detained.
Among them was the Sofo, a tanker sanctioned by the UK in May 2022, which moved through the Channel after travelling from Venezuela and is now near the Russian city of St. Petersburg. Ship-tracking data shows the Sofo loaded oil in Russia in mid-November before making stops in Turkey and Venezuela, where it temporarily switched off its tracking signal.
The Na’sledie, a more than 20-year-old tanker also sanctioned by the UK in May 2022, entered the Channel in January after undergoing a makeover, changing its name from Blint and switching to a Russian registry after falsely flying under the Comoros flag. It left Russia in late December and just days after the BBC reported on the UK’s legal advice, it entered the Channel carrying about 100,000 tonnes of Urals crude, Russia’s flagship oil grade.
Despite the government’s vow to “tighten the chokehold” on Russia and take new “assertive action” against the shadow fleet, British troops are yet to independently seize any of these sanctioned vessels. This is despite the BBC identifying six tankers operating in the Channel under false flags since the beginning of January, which under international law can be seized as stateless vessels.
Dame Emily Thornberry, chair of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee, expressed disappointment that the vessels had not been intercepted, stating that sanctions must be implemented to properly support Ukraine. Liberal Democrat MP and former British Army officer Mike Martin questioned why the UK has been reluctant to board the tankers, noting that the Royal Marines are trained and equipped for such operations.
Russia appears to have reacted to the UK’s pledge, with the Times reporting that the warship General Skobelev escorted a sanctioned tanker through the Channel on 20 January. The Kremlin has also warned that any detention of the tankers would be seen as “harming Russian interests” and a violation of international law.
The shadow fleet’s continued operation is helping to prop up the Russian economy, which has been battered by Western sanctions. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), these tankers move between £87 billion and £100 billion worth of oil per year, with 68% of all Russian crude oil carried on sanctioned vessels in December 2022.
As the conflict in Ukraine rages on, experts argue that disrupting the shadow fleet’s activities is crucial to cutting off Russia’s economic lifeline and bringing an end to the war. However, the UK’s reluctance to take decisive action against these sanctioned vessels has drawn criticism, with calls for the government to do more to enforce its own sanctions regime.
