Cargo Ships “Going Dark” Breach Russian Sanctions

160
Credit: Arron Choi/Unsplash

Cargo ships “going dark” undermine Russian sanctions. The EU wants to ban the practice, mentions a Yahoo News source.

Russian economy not down

Fourteen months of increasingly tough trade restrictions have not brought the Russian economy to its knees, nor have they forced the end of its war in Ukraine. In an attempt to further tighten the screws on Russia, the EU is preparing its eleventh sanctions proposal, according to Bloomberg.

This time, the EU will be focusing on loopholes that undermine existing sanctions, including the practice of ships “going dark” by turning off their automatic identification system (AIS) transmitters. Three dozen people are also expected to be targeted in the new sanctions round, which will need to be approved by all 27 member states to enter into force.

A centerpiece of Western sanctions against Russia has been to choke off its oil revenue, which made up 45 percent of Russia’s budget in 2021, before the invasion of Ukraine and helped to fill Russia’s war chest.

Ship-to-ship transfer

But Russia continues to get its crude to market by allowing vessels to carry out ship-to-ship transfers, where oil is off-loaded in the middle of the ocean outside the view of regulatory authorities.

Workarounds to Western sanctions have undermined their impact. In 2022, the Russian economy contracted more modestly than expected, by 2.1% compared to the previous year. This year, the Bank of Russia projects that the economy will grow by 2% as the country shakes off the effects of the sanctions.

In addition to the EU’s proposed plans, the Group of Seven (G7), a coalition of nations comprising of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US, are also preparing coordinated sanctions packages to be unveiled during the G7 meeting in Hiroshima later this month. The packages are expected to include limitations on trade transiting through Russia, more sanctions on individuals, and penalties on Russia’s defense industry.

 

Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?

It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!

Source: Yahoo Finance

1 COMMENT

  1. A bunch of degenerates (illiterates) with Great Dimentia hope that some kind of imposed sanctions, it is not clear by whom,
    will stop Russia in the collapse of the FASCIST REGIME on Ukraine… IDIOTS !

    Nothing & NO ONE has ever stopped RUSSIA !
    Rusia was right in the 2-nd World War (lost 27mln own peoples) and is now ENDING with FASCISM ! In any case !

    G7- accomplices of FASCISM now(as in 2-nd WWar same players)= supporting Globalean FASCISM NOW!
    NO PASARAN ! NEVER !!!

    WILL BE VICTORY OF RUSSIA ONLY & CHANGING OF THE WORLD!
    WHICH SUPPORT 7 BILLIONS ON EARTH PEOPLE (except for the TOP of the so-called “Golden Billion’)

    NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS of USA in EUROPE !
    Yankee GO HOME to USA ! Global Parasites !

    NO PASARAN !

LEAVE A REPLY

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.