Britain on Thursday announced its largest sanctions to date against Russia’s “shadow fleet” of tankers, used to circumvent a Western embargo on oil exports following its invasion of Ukraine.
The government’s latest crackdown bars 18 ships from UK ports and from accessing British maritime services, bringing the total number of sanctioned vessels to 43.
Experts say the so-called ghost fleet, which operates under opaque ownership or without proper insurance, has allowed the Kremlin to continue exporting oil despite sanctions and a price cap on its global sales.
The shadow fleet has also been accused by the UK of posing a threat to the environment and coastlines due to its flagrant violations of basic safety standards.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) stated that these sanctions are “starving Putin’s war machine of crucial revenues.”
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