Europe cranks up the heat on Russia’s shadow fleet with latest sanctions package

The European Council has adopted the 16th package of sanctions against Russia to ‘ramp up’ the pressure on the country’s so-called ‘shadow’ fleet as well as curb attempts to circumvent the measures.

Now well into its fourth year, Russia’s aggression on Ukraine continues to disturb the balance of global geopolitics. Exploiting loopholes and opaque ownership structures, the country’s shadow fleet – also known as dark fleet – has continued trying to evade restrictions, keeping the nation’s oil exports afloat despite mounting sanctions.

The EU has introduced a number of measures to throw a wrench in these activities since the war broke out. Its latest package, unveiled in February 2025, now targets 74 additional vessels, bringing the total of listed ships to 153.

As disclosed, the ships have either been linked to the shadow fleet or have acted as a contributor to Russia’s energy revenue. With the new sanctions, the vessels are subject to a port ban and a ban on the provision of services.

The package has also imposed targeted export restrictions on 53 new companies—plus 34 firms in countries outside of Russia—that support Russia’s military-industrial complex and engage in sanctions circumvention.

What is more, since Russia has diverted a substantial portion of its financial flows through smaller banks, the new EU package has added 13 financial institutions to the list of subjects banned from offering specialized financial messaging services. Three banks have found themselves in the transaction ban due to their use of the Financial Messaging System of the Central Bank of Russia (SPFS) to sidestep penalties.

In terms of energy-related measures, the EU has reached the decision to completely forbid temporary storage or placement under free zone procedures of Russian crude oil or petroleum products in EU ports. This was allowed up until now under the condition that the oil complied with the price cap and went to a third-world country.

Furthermore, this part of the sanctions extended the prohibition to supply goods, technology and services for the completion of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG)-focused projects to crude oil initiatives, such as the Vostok oil project.

To remind, European parliamentarians urged the EU in November 2024 to impose “more targeted” sanctions on Russia’s dark fleet. The following month, the European Council unpacked its 15th sanctions package, adding 52 units of the shadow fleet to the list and ‘strengthening’ the European Union’s commitment to hampering down on the vessels’ “illegal, environmentally harmful and unsafe” activities.

In mid-December 2024, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom agreed to join efforts and deter the activities of Russia’s dark fleet, too.

Within the scope of this endeavor, the twelve countries said they would see to it that their maritime authorities request relevant proof of insurance from suspected shadow vessels as they sail through the English Channel, the Danish Straits of the Great Belt, the Sound between Denmark and Sweden, and the Gulf of Finland. The information would then be assessed and acted upon together.

As part of the initiative, the United Kingdom also imposed a penalty on 20 shadow fleet vessels, including Ocean Faye, Andaman Skies and Mianzimu, believed to have each carried more than four million barrels of Russian oil in 2024.

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