Sanctions News

Panama's maritime authority on Thursday said it had canceled in January of last year the flag of the M Sophia, a Venezuela-linked oil tanker seized by the U.S. military this week.The U.S. military's Southern Command on Wednesday said it had intercepted the M Sophia before dawn, and described it as a "stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker." Panamanian authorities canceled the supertanker's flag on January 23, 2025, the AMP authority said in a statement.The maritime authority also said the Bella-1, a Russian-flagged tanker the U.S.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD0 announced on Wednesday that Britain had provided assistance to the United States during its operation to capture a "Russian flagged oil tanker" in the North Atlantic.After pursuing the tanker for over a month across the Atlantic, Washington was able to seize the vessel on Wednesday.Britain's armed forces provided "pre-planned operational support including basing," following a request from the United States for assistance.The report said that a naval vessel aided the U.S.

China received 22 shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) last year from two export projects in Russia sanctioned by the United States and European Union, shiptracking data showed.One shipment was from Portovaya and the rest were from the Arctic LNG 2 project, showed data from Kpler and LSEG.The U.S. and EU have sanctioned the projects to curb revenue reaching Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.Chinese state-owned China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) and China National…

At least two oil tankers have made their way to Venezuela in recent days and others are navigating towards the country, a sign of state-run PDVSA's effort to expand floating storage and keep selling crude even as a U.S. blockade has reduced exports to a minimum.U.S. President Donald Trump this month announced a blockade of all sanctioned vessels going in or out of Venezuelan waters as part of a strategy to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. move has cut oil exports this month to about half of their November level.The U.S.

A sanctioned tanker carrying some 300,000 barrels of naphtha from Russia entered Venezuelan waters late on Thursday, while three others also under sanctions either stopped navigation or began redirecting course in the Atlantic Ocean, ship tracking data showed, a sign of last-minute decisions by ship owners amid U.S. President Donald Trump's "blockade" of all oil tankers under sanctions bound for the OPEC country.Trump on Tuesday ordered a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers to and from the South American country…

Venezuela on Thursday authorized two very large crude carriers (VLCC) to set sail for China, according to two sources familiar with Venezuela's oil export operations, which would be only the second and third supertankers to depart the country since the U.S. seized a ship carrying Venezuelan oil last week.The U.S. has said it would not allow vessels under sanction to leave Venezuelan waters. The departing tankers, each carrying around 1.9 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey heavy crude according to internal documents from state company PDVSA, are not on the U.S.

Britain imposed sanctions on Thursday on more Russian oil companies and Canadian-Pakistani billionaire Murtaza Lakhani as part of efforts to ramp up pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.The government targeted 24 individuals and entities, including what it described as Russia's largest remaining unsanctioned oil companies: Tatneft, Russneft, NNK-Oil and Rusneftegaz.The latest measures aim to make it harder for Russia to trade its oil globally. In October, Britain and the U.S.

The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on 29 vessels and their management firms as Washington targeted Tehran's "shadow fleet", which it says exports Iranian petroleum and petroleum products.The targeted vessels and companies have transported hundreds of millions of dollars of the products through deceptive shipping practices, the U.S. Treasury said.The shadow fleet refers to ships that carry oil that is under sanctions. They are typically old, their ownership opaque…

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered on Tuesday a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Washington's latest move to increase pressure on Nicolas Maduro's government, targeting its main source of income.It is unclear how Trump will impose the move against the sanctioned vessels, and whether he will turn to the Coast Guard to interdict vessels like he did last week. The administration has moved thousands of troops and nearly a dozen warships - including an aircraft carrier - to the region."For the theft of our Assets…

Venezuela's state-run company PDVSA is dealing with stuck oil cargoes, rising price discounts and demands from customers to change terms of spot contracts following the U.S. seizure of a ship carrying the OPEC country's crude, traders and sources said.As Washington's pressure on President Nicolas Maduro grows, the U.S. Coast Guard last week intercepted the vessel Skipper near Venezuela's coast, its first seizure of an oil tanker or cargo from the South American country. The U.S. also imposed sanctions against six ships and their linked companies.By the time the U.S.

The European Union adopted fresh sanctions against Russian oil interests on Monday, targeting traders Murtaza Lakhani and Etibar Eyyub for helping Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions on crude exports that help to fund Russia's war in Ukraine.The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions so far, but Moscow has managed to adapt to most measures and is still selling millions of barrels of oil to India and China, albeit at discounts to global prices. Much of this is transported using…

The European Union has adopted fresh sanctions targeting companies and individuals accused of helping Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions on oil exports that help to fund Russia's war in Ukraine.The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions so far, but Moscow has managed to adapt to most measures and is still selling millions of barrels of oil to India and China, albeit at discounts to global prices. Much of this is transported using a so-called shadow fleet of vessels operating…

The United States on Thursday issued new sanctions targeting Venezuela, imposing curbs on three nephews of President Nicolas Maduro's wife, as well as six crude oil tankers and shipping companies linked to them, as Washington ramps up pressure on Caracas.The action came as the U.S. executes a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean and as U.S. President Donald Trump campaigns for Maduro's ouster. On Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. had seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.The U.S.

Discussions on the need to tighten sanctions on Russia, including the possibility of a blanket ban on providing maritime services, should not be at the expense of legitimate businesses in the industry, key EU shipping nations Cyprus and Malta said.The Group of Seven countries and the European Union are in talks to replace a price cap on Russian oil exports with a full maritime services ban in an attempt to reduce the oil revenue that helps finance Russia's war in Ukraine, Reuters exclusively reported on Dec.

Discounts for Russian flagship Urals crude in Indian ports have tripled since August against dated Brent as U.S. sanctions drive key buyers away from Moscow-supplied oil, three sources involved in the trade said.The United States last month imposed its toughest sanctions yet on Russia’s energy sector, targeting oil majors Lukoil and Rosneft. Friday marks the deadline for companies to wind down all dealings with the two producers.Urals crude has been a mainstay feedstock for Indian refiners since 2023, when Moscow redirected flows to Asia after the European Union banned Russian energy.

U.S. sanctions are dismantling what remains of Lukoil's Litasco, once Russia's biggest oil trader and a rival to top Swiss houses and oil majors, five sources told Reuters.The measures, which also target state-owned Rosneft, took effect on Friday as Washington seeks to choke off Moscow’s ability to fund its war in Ukraine. They have thrown Lukoil’s global operations into limbo, from oilfields in the Middle East to fuel pumps and refineries across Europe.Cut off from the global financial system…

Russia's Lukoil is selling its international assets after the U.S. imposed sanctions on the company.Washington refused to approve the sale of assets to Swiss commodity trader Gunvor, throwing Lukoil's operations in disarray and leading to a scramble of potential buyers.The U.S. Treasury cleared potential buyers to talk to Lukoil until December 13. They will need separate approval for specific deals. U.S. oil major Chevron is studying options to buy some global assets of Lukoil, sources have said. U.S.

In this moment of heightened trade tensions, the International Chamber of Shipping co-hosted a second Global Maritime Trade Summit in Hong Kong to explore geopolitics and trade realignment, building resilient supply chains, and financing a dynamic and robust maritime economy. The summit was co-hosted by the Transport and Logistics Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong, SAR and the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.The theme of this year’s summit was Building Resilience, Driving Growth and Investment.“The maritime industry is at a pivotal moment.

Around 1.4 million barrels per day of Russian oil, or almost a third of the country's seaborne exporting potential, remain in tankers as unloading slows due to U.S. sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil, JPMorgan said on Thursday.The U.S.

Oil prices rose on Tuesday on the impact of the latest U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and optimism that the U.S. government shutdown could end soon, although oversupply concerns limited gains.Brent crude futures were up $1.14, or 1.78%, to $65.2 a barrel at 11:50 a.m. ET (1650 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $61.16 a barrel, up $1.03 cents, or 1.03%.Investors continue to assess the fallout from the U.S. sanctions on Russia, and their impact on both crude oil and refined fuel markets.Lukoil declared force majeure at an Iraqi oilfield it operates…

Lukoil declared force majeure at its Iraqi oil field, sources told Reuters on Monday, and Bulgaria was poised to seize its Burgas refinery, as the Russian company's international operations buckled under the strain of U.S. sanctions.The force majeure at the West Qurna-2 field in Iraq marks the biggest fallout yet from the sanctions imposed on Russian oil majors Lukoil and Rosneft last month as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's push to end the war in Ukraine.Four sources with…

Two tankers carrying around 1.5 million barrels of Russian Urals crude have dropped anchor at sea on either end of the Suez Canal, in an apparent sign of the difficulty Moscow is having selling oil after Western sanctions were tightened last month.The vessels Sikar and Monte 1 were both loaded with oil from Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk in early October and have remained anchored near the canal for over a week, according to tracking data from LSEG and OilX.The United States and European Union have tightened sanctions against Russia’s oil sector…

Russian oil major Lukoil is struggling to keep operations running at its sprawling foreign businesses as Western sanctions disrupt oil loadings in Iraq, pump stations in Finland and trading in Switzerland, sources said.The United States and the United Kingdom last month imposed sanctions on Russia's second-largest oil company, complicating how it carries out its normal operations.The U.S. Treasury Department issued a licence giving companies until November 21. to wind down any…