THE UK will sanction as many as 100 oil tankers that it says are part of a shadow fleet of vessels helping Russia to move its oil.
That could expand the number of ships the country has designated by up to 75% as it seeks to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. The measures, targeting vessels responsible for carrying more than $24 billion worth of cargo since the start of last year, will be announced later Friday, the government said in a statement.
Russia assembled a shadow fleet to keep transporting its oil as its war in Ukraine continues. But concerns have grown about the safety of those vessels and the risk that they’re damaging critical infrastructure such as underwater cables.
The UK says the new designations will mean it has sanctioned more shadow fleet ships than any other country. Before Friday’s announcement, it had targeted a total of 133 tankers — some of which have also been sanctioned by other governments — with links to Russia.
Still, of the 41 that have been sanctioned by the UK alone, 39 have continued to haul Russian cargoes, according to vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. –BLOOMBERG
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