To continue combating Russian oil revenues, the European Council has recently shifted its focus to traders and shipping companies supporting Russian oil trade. Meanwhile, Ukraine has imposed sanctions on nearly 700 "shadow fleet" oil tankers, intensifying the blockade on vessels transporting Russian crude oil and petroleum products.

The European Council stated that to date, the EU has imposed sanctions on over 2,600 individuals and entities. This action specifically targets companies and individuals associated with Russia's two major state-owned oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. On December 15th, the EU announced the inclusion of 9 "shadow fleet supporters" in the sanctions list, involving shipping companies from the UAE, Vietnam, and Russia that are restricted due to their involvement with the Russian "shadow fleet." Analysts anticipate that the EU may add another 40 oil tankers to the sanctions list in the future.

EU officials pointed out that these companies engage in irregular and high-risk operations in oil tanker transportation and attempt to obscure the actual source of oil. Individuals sanctioned include Murtaza Lakhani, who controls several UAE-based companies involved in oil exports, although his lawyer stated that the related accusations are "baseless." Companies sanctioned include 2Rivers Group (also known as Coral Energy) and Nova Shipmanagement, with the former having multiple connections to "shadow fleet" oil tankers and the latter being involved in the oil transfer of several Omani-flagged tankers.

Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that Ukraine's sanctions cover nearly 700 vessels, which constitute a significant part of the Russian oil transport "shadow fleet." These vessels not only fly the Russian flag but are also registered in over 50 different jurisdictions. He emphasized, "The comprehensive ban on providing maritime services to vessels involved in Russian energy exports is a key measure to pressure Russia and promote peace diplomacy in parallel."

Analysts note that the joint actions of the EU and Ukraine will further increase compliance costs for oil tankers, raise insurance and chartering risks, and potentially accelerate the market exit of some "shadow fleet" tankers. For the global dry bulk and tanker markets, this implies a short-term increase in risk premiums, requiring shipping companies to maintain high vigilance when operating in Russian-related oil transport.