THE EU’s 14th sanctions package adopted today directly designated 27 ships, including tankers said to be linked to Putin’s dark fleet*, and those transporting military equipment and stolen grain from Ukraine.

This is the first time that the EU has directly targeted single-ship registered owners and listed the IMO number, which mirrored recent action in the UK and US, that has proven the most effective in removing vessels from the market to halt further trading.

Among those ships listed for skirting sanctions on Russia’s oil and shipping sector were four Gabon-flagged tankers, including three operated by Russian government-controlled Sovcomflot and another product tanker, Hana (IMO: 9353113).

Hana is one for 50-plus tankers that was formerly part of Gatik Ship Management, Russia’s largest dark fleet operator, which fragmented into 18-plus subsidiaries more than a year ago after vessels were deflagged, declassed and lost insurance for breaching sanctions.

Hana’s registered owner, Elizario Shipping Incorporation was incorporated in Mauritius last year, while the current shipmanager since July, 2023, is Türkiye-based Unic Shipmanagement.

Four other sanctioned tankers were flagged in the Cook Islands, and were formerly managed by Dubai-based Radiating World Shipping Services and Star Voyages Shipping Services. Those companies also splintered and reorganised vessels under management into new entities between August and January, in response to December 2024 sanctions imposed by the UK government.

Two of the four Cook Islands-flagged vessels Canis Power (IMO: 9289520) and Ocean Amz (IMO: 9394935) were sanctioned by the UK government 10 days ago. The additional tankers, Galian 2 (IMO: 9331153) and Vela Rain (IMO: 9331141) are also linked to the same fleet and unknown owner.

Panama-flagged aframax Andromeda Star (IMO: 9402471) and general cargo vessel Hunter Star (IMO: 9830769) also made the list, alongside two semi-submersible heavy-lift vessels.

“For the first time, the EU has adopted a measure targeting specific vessels contributing to Russia’s warfare against Ukraine, which are subject to a port access ban and ban on provision of services,” the EU Commission said.

“These vessels can be designated for a broad array of reasons such as their support through the transport of military equipment for Russia, the transport of stolen Ukrainian grain and support in the development of Russia’s energy sector, for instance through the transport of LNG components or transshipments of LNG.

“This measure also targets tankers part of Putin’s dark fleet which circumvent the EU and Price Cap Coalition’s caps, while adopting deceptive shipping practices in complete disregard of international standards.”

Also on the list was tanker Beks Aqua (IMO: 9277725) flagged in Guinea-Bissau and among a group of tankers whose shipmanagement arm, Beks Ship Management and Trading, was sanctioned by the UK government earlier this year.

Most of the Beks tankers have reflagged and reorganised ISM and registered ownership since.

Cameroon-flagged Robon (IMO: 9144782), sanctioned by the UK government 10 days ago, was also listed.

In reality the designated tankers already operate outside Western jurisdiction, switching countries of incorporation for ISM management and registered ownership, and taking insurance and using marine services without obvious EU connections.

But the measure is significant as it reflects a coordinated, pincer strategy alongside the UK and US to pick off dark fleet tankers and Russian government-controlled tonnage in order to give the G7 oil price cap more teeth.

The EU is the last to readjust and toughen enforcement and compliance strategies over the past six months, which has seen Western regulators since October directly target about 20 Sovcomflot tankers from the 80-strong fleet shipping Russia oil, plus around 22 sanctions-circumventing ships in the so-called dark fleet.

The US government’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 18 ships owned by Hennesea Holdings Limited in January, followed by the  UK’s recent effort to designate four tankers, including one from Sovcomflot, earlier this month.

These vessels, alongside about listed Sovcomflot tankers have not lifted cargoes from Russia since being designated by either jurisdiction, in effect removing vessels from the market that regulators say pose environmental risks and engage in deceptive shipping practices.

At least a dozen of these tankers have switched off vessel transponders since being sanctioned.

Among the 27 ships designated today, two Russia-flagged floating regasification units, Saam FSU (IMO: 9915090) and Koryak (IMO: 9915105), both already listed by Ofac in 2023.

This reflects a ban on reloading services for Russian LNG phased in over nine months, and those LNG imports into Europe into specific terminals that are not connected to the EU pipeline work, the release said. 

Alongside the G7 price cap, which prevents Western marine service providers from shipping Russian oil to third party providers unless it is sold below a certain price, there are import bans on Russian oil, coal, and liquefied petroleum gas.

There are now bans on providing services and technology for LNG projects including Arctic LNG.

* Lloyd’s List defines a tanker as part of the dark fleet if it is aged 15 years or over, anonymously owned and/or has a corporate structure designed to obfuscate beneficial ownership discovery, solely deployed in sanctioned oil trades, and engaged in one or more of the deceptive shipping practices outlined in US State Department guidance issued in May 2020. The figures exclude tankers tracked to government-controlled shipping entities such as Russia’s Sovcomflot, or Iran’s National Iranian Tanker Co, and those already sanctioned.

Download our explainer on the different risk profiles of the dark fleet here