A change in trend. The number of violations of the embargo on Russian seaborne crude oil imports to the EU increased in April-May 2023

The Monitoring Group of BlackSeaNews
and the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies  

The Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies and BlackSeaNews reports on the results of its own monitoring of violations of the embargo on Russian seaborne crude oil imports to the EU in April-May 2023 (See Tables 3 and 4).

Summary

The January-March 2023 downward trend in the number of violations of the EU and G7 embargo on imports of Russian crude oil from Black Sea ports was reversed in April-May 2023 when the number of violations began to increase.

The volume of Russian crude oil shipments from the Black Sea to EU countries in violation of the embargo also increased in April-May. In 20 days of May, the export volume grew significantly, almost to the level of January 2023, and reached 1,122,192 tons. Month-on-month growth in April 2023 amounted to 68.2%, and in 20 days of May, it reached 40.0%.

In contrast to March 2023, when Russian oil was delivered only to transshipment points, in May 2023, it has been shipped or is being shipped to 2 ports in the Netherlands and Spain.

Whereas in March 2023, among the embargo-violating tankers, only 1 vessel belonged to a company registered in an EU country (Greece), in April, 4 Greek tankers violated the embargo, and in the first 20 days of May 2023, 5 tankers of Greek shipowners.

Thus, compliance with the EU and G7 embargo on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil from the Black Sea depends almost entirely on the ability of the Greek government to control the actions of Greek shipowner companies and transshipment carried out in the Laconian Gulf, which is located outside the territorial sea of Greece, but within the maritime exclusive economic zone of this country.

The full text of the report

While in January-March 2023 the Monitoring Group recorded a gradual but significant reduction in the number of violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil from Black Sea ports, in April-May 2023, the trend was reversed, and the number of embargo violations began to increase again.

• While in January-March 2023 the Monitoring Group recorded a gradual but significant reduction in the number of violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil from Black Sea ports, in April-May 2023, the trend was reversed, and the number of embargo violations began to increase again.

While in January-March 2023 the volume of Russian crude oil shipments from the Black Sea in violation of the embargo decreased from 1,274,281 tons in January to 476,449 tons in March, in April the volume of exports increased to 801,594 tons, and in 20 days of May – to 1,122,192 tons.

• In April 2023, the increase in the volume of shipments of Russian crude oil in violation of the embargo amounted to 325,145 tons, or 68.2%, compared to the previous month.

• In the first 20 days of May 2023, month-on-month growth in the volume of shipments of Russian crude oil in violation of the embargo amounted to 320,598 tons, or 40.0%.  

Table 1. The volume of Russia’s crude oil exports from Black Sea ports to EU+ countries in April 2022-May 2023, tons

While in March 2023, unlike the two previous months, there was no delivery of Russian crude oil directly to the ports of EU countries, now the situation has changed: in May 2023, Russian oil has been delivered or is being delivered to 2 ports in the Netherlands and Spain.

• On 13 May 2023, the Greek tanker GREEN AURA (IMO 9808168), which passed through the Dardanelles on 23 April 2023, sailing under the flag of Liberia, delivered 112,684 tons of crude oil to SINT EUSTATIUS – the Caribbean Netherlands, the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba [BQ].

• These islands have a status of public bodies (special municipalities) in the Netherlands. Note that during the movement in the Mediterranean Sea in April 2023, this tanker indicated the destination port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and changed it when approaching Gibraltar.

• The Greek tanker EURONIKE (IMO 9299678), sailing under the flag of Malta, passed through the Dardanelles on 19 May 2023, and indicated the port of destination ES BIO (BILBAO) in Spain. The vessel is still at sea, and the expected date of its arrival at the port of Bilbao is ETA: 2023-05-28 08:00 LT (UTC +2).

As in previous months, most of the facts of embargo violations are related to the delivery of Russian crude oil to the transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf (LAKONIKOS GULF), which is located near the coast of Greece.

Whereas in March 2023, among the embargo-violating tankers, only one vessel belonged to a company registered in an EU country (Greece), in April, 4 Greek tankers violated the embargo, and in the first 20 days of May 2023, 5 tankers of Greek shipowners. Details of the Greek companies owning the embargo-violating tankers are marked in bold in Tables 3 and 4.

Shipowners from other EU and G7 countries did not carry out such shipment in April-May 2023 (See Table 2).

Thus, compliance with the EU and G7 embargo on Russian seaborne crude oil imports from the Black Sea depends almost entirely on the ability of the Greek government to control the actions of Greek shipowner companies and transshipment carried out in the Laconian Gulf, which is located outside the territorial sea of Greece, but within the maritime exclusive economic zone of this country.

* * *

ТTable 2. Tankers that transported Russian crude oil to EU countries in January-May 2023, by shipowner’s country of registration

Information on May 2023 is provided for an incomplete month: from 1 to 20 May inclusive

Table 3. Tankers that transported Russia’s crude oil from Russian ports on the Black Sea to EU countries in April 2023

Information on shipowner companies and operating companies is provided by www.equasis.org
The first column indicates the date of a vessel’s passage from the Sea of Marmara through the Dardanelles to the Aegean Sea

Table 4. Tankers that transported Russia’s crude oil from Russian ports on the Black Sea to EU countries in May 2023

Information on shipowner companies and operating companies is provided by www.equasis.org
The first column indicates the date of a vessel’s passage from the Sea of Marmara through the Dardanelles to the Aegean Sea

* * *

This article has been prepared with the support of the European Union in Ukraine. The content of the article is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the EU