Yesterday at 23:55
The Russian company Sovcomflot has renamed some of its oil tankers after they became a subject to US sanctions.
That’s according to Bloomberg.
The agency claims that at least four tankers have now changed their names, as well as the Russian flag to Gabon: Kemerovo instead of NS Columbus, Belgorod instead of NS Bravo, Kaliningrad instead of NS Captain, and Krasnoyarsk instead of NS Creation.
Russia is determined to distance the tankers from the listings in sanctions databases. However, they can still be identified by their unique and unchanged numbers registered with the International Maritime Organization.
Russia relies heavily on Sovcomflot’s giant tanker fleet to transport its oil. According to a division of the world’s largest ship broker Clarkson Research Services Ltd., the Russian company remains the world’s largest owner of Aframax tankers, each capable of carrying about 700,000 barrels of oil.
The US sanctions were imposed on Sovcomflot in February. Fourteen of its tankers were also added to the list of the US Treasury Department, bringing the total number of vessels on the sanctions list to 21.
