Tankers are piling up near a Russian port in the Far East due to sanctions

New US sanctions are making it difficult to export Russian oil, creating tanker congestion near a key Russian Far Eastern port.

After the United States imposed sanctions, a cluster of tankers has formed near the port of Kozmino, through which Russia exports ESPO crude oil. Ukrinform writes about this.

Nine tankers are currently near the port, which is significantly more than usual. Another 11 vessels are either heading to Kozmino or have recently left the port.

The cluster of vessels indicates the serious consequences of the sanctions imposed by the US on January 10, which limit the possibilities of transporting Russian oil.

“Previously, US sanctions have had a strong impact on tankers transporting Russian oil. If this situation persists for Kozmino, it will be difficult for Russia to find a sufficient number of vessels for export,” experts note.

Before the sanctions were imposed, 27 tankers transported Russian ESPO oil. However, after January 10, only one tanker, Li Bai, loaded and remains anchored near Kozmino.

In addition, the sanctioned vessel Bay Baikal transported oil from the Sakhalin-2 project, unloading at the Chinese port of Lianyungang, which is likely to violate sanctions.

Exporters warn that a shortage of vessels could slow down the operation of the Kozmino port and reduce oil supplies. At the same time, some companies are reorienting their vessels to this port to solve logistical problems. For example, the tanker Bhilva changed its route in the Strait of Malacca and headed to Kozmino, and the tanker Sai Baba loaded for the first time at this port, although it previously transported Urals oil from western Russian ports.

The day before, USM reported that Syria had banned imports from Russia, Iran and Israel.