UAE bans Russian shadow fleet tankers from entering its ports

The United Arab Emirates has prohibited access to its ports for Russia's shadow fleet, which includes tankers registered under the flag of the landlocked African country of Eswatini.

Source: Bloomberg

Details: The United Arab Emirates has banned entry to its ports for ships that sail under the flag of the African state of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in order to distance themselves from the shadow fleet transporting Russian oil.

Bloomberg added that the UAE had previously banned Cameroon-flagged tankers from its ports. Tankers registered under both these flags have been used to transport Russian oil to evade sanctions.

In 2023, not a single ship sailed under the Eswatini flag. Yet in 2024, 26 ships suddenly appeared under the flag of this tiny country in southern Africa which does not even have access to the sea.

Most of these vessels are tankers. There is no reliable data on the ownership of 16 of the ships. However, evidence indicates that some Eswatini-flagged tankers have been involved in transporting oil from Russia and Iran.

Background:

• Western insurance companies covered 10 tankers that sailed from Russia to Asia this year.
• The Viktor Bakayev tanker transports oil from the Baltic to China, testing the resolve of G7 sanctions aimed at restricting Russia's oil fleet.

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