At the end of the week, representatives of the 27 member states met to discuss the technical aspects of the sanctions package, at a time when Western reports revealed there was little opposition to the stepping up of the application of the energy embargo, even by the countries supposed to benefit from it. from undeclared imports of Russian crude.
Using intermediaries, Russian companies continue to ship oil around the world despite widespread Western sanctions against the energy industry, while importing American and European technology via countries that have not imposed sanctions on Russia .
“Shadow Fleet”
According to the European Commission’s draft proposals for the sanctions package, vessels secretly carrying Russian crude will be banned from the bloc’s ports. According to ‘Politico’ newspaper, the proposal targets the so-called ‘ghost fleet’ of former tankers carrying Russian crude since the European Union banned imports of Russian oil and petroleum products in conjunction with the price cap imposed by the G7 last March. According to an analysis by S&P Global, Russia does not have enough ships to transport its oil, so it is forced to use tankers from other countries to transport its oil, and a large part of this fleet is believed to belong to Greece. . The draft sanctions say some vessels are turning off their GPS transponders and transponders to avoid detection. The oil measures are part of a broader sanctions package that is likely to target third countries to boost trade with Russia, including China, as well as an annex to recall certain countries and products.
real test
And European Union spokesman Luis Miguel Bueno previously said, in statements exclusive to Sky News Arabia, that “the objective of the bloc countries is to ensure the full and unconditional implementation of our sanctions against Russia”.
“This means ensuring that European market operators are aware of their obligations and the consequences of breaching the sanctions regime and ensuring that they are not circumvented, including by third countries. From this point of view , cooperation with third countries is essential for us”, he added. .
On the other hand, expert from the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Professionals, George Voloshin, said that although there is no strong opposition to tougher sanctions measures oil companies, the real test will come once these measures are implemented by the countries of the bloc.
“There has been very limited enforcement so far in the EU with regard to sanctions,” he added.
Who benefits?
In statements to “Sky News Arabia”, Paul Sullivan, non-resident member of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, described the consequences of the 11th EU sanctions package against Russia, stating that:
“Without proper multinational enforcement, with severe penalties, the effects of smuggling cannot be reduced.” “There are many temptations in the oil business outside of the legal framework, and many readily give in to them.” India and China profit from smuggling because they get cheap Russian oil that is delivered “in the dark”. Smuggling and transhipment operations are nothing new and ships still need to be disguised.
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