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Denmark plans to inspect tankers carrying Russian oil in its territorial waters, The Financial Times reports, citing senior European officials. After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union radically reduced imports of coal, oil and natural gas from the Russian Federation. The bloc’s goal is to completely phase out imports of Russian fossil fuels by 2027. Moscow is trying to get around the restrictions. Read more in the material of the FREEDOM TV channel.
The main route for oil supplies from the Russian Federation is still the Baltic Sea and the Danish straits. Tankers carrying hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian oil pass through them every day.
“Many Russian oil shipments are carried out on the so-called “shadow fleet” of old ships. But officials briefed on the proposal say it depends on the Danish Navy’s ability to stop and inspect tankers, raising questions about what Copenhagen will do if the ship refuses to stop.
Since the summer of 2023, Russia began supplying oil to Asia through Arctic waters. Until the beginning of September, according to the state corporation Rosatom, up to half a million tons of oil were transported along this route. According to High north news, Russia mainly transports oil through the Arctic to China.
According to experts, such a volume of oil supplies from Russia to China or other Asian countries via the Arctic is unprecedented, despite the fact that the remoteness of the Arctic and extremely harsh climatic conditions pose a significant risk for tankers.
“One thing can be said with complete confidence: 87 thousand barrels of oil exported along the Northern Sea Route from Russia is by far the highest monthly figure on this route. The previous maximum was 16 thousand barrels, that is, one tanker,” said leading crude oil analyst Victor Katona in a comment to High north news.
The 12th package of EU sanctions against Russia may include measures to strengthen control over compliance with the upper limit on prices for Russian oil. In December 2022, the price ceiling of $60 per barrel introduced by the G7 countries came into force. However, Russian oil is often sold at a higher price – about $80 per barrel, writes the Financial Times.
Brussels plans to announce new restrictions in the coming days.
“We are finalizing the final details of this package. It will be approved by a decision of the European Council, which will contain instructions for member states on its implementation,” said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
In an attempt to circumvent Western sanctions, Russia acquired more than a hundred tankers in 2023. The European Union is considering the possibility, as part of a new package of sanctions, to introduce restrictions on shipping companies that sell their old ships to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” as well as on states that allow these ships to sail under their flags.
Read also: US to Fund International Centre in The Hague to Document Russian Crimes in Ukraine
