The United States proposes to confiscate oil from tankers of the “shadow fleet” of the Russian Federation
A group of American senators has submitted to Congress a draft law that provides for strengthening control over compliance with sanctions against the so-called “shadow fleet” of Russia. It is this fleet that transports about 75% of all the oil that Russia exports, informs Reuters.
The project gives the US authorities the right to confiscate oil from vessels that are on the “black list” of the US Treasury Department. In case of confiscation, the raw materials will be sold, and the proceeds will be used to repay the national debt of the United States.
Within the framework of the initiative, it is proposed to create a special fund — the Russian Sanctions Enforcement Fund — managed by the Ministry of Finance, with a budget of $150 million. The draft law also provides for expanding the exchange of intelligence information and providing law enforcement agencies with tools to combat illegal Russian oil trading schemes.
One of the initiators of the document, Republican Joni Ernst, emphasized:
“In addition to preventing Moscow’s malicious attempts to undermine US law, this bill will also allow our country to use seized assets.”
As of the end of January, about 200 tankers were under US sanctions restrictions that were engaged in the transportation of Russian oil in violation of sanctions, in particular the price “ceiling” of $60 per barrel set by the G7 countries. The largest expansion of sanctions occurred at the end of Joe Biden’s presidential term, when 180 vessels were targeted. These vessels provided half of Russia’s seaborne oil exports — approximately 1.5 million barrels per day.
Examples of actions based on sanctions include the Panamanian-flagged tanker Eventin, which was detained by German maritime services in March. There were about 100,000 tons of oil on board, which was confiscated.
