Some blacklisted tankers are reportedly back in operation due to US President Donald Trump’s approach to sanctions
Russia’s oil exports have been on the rise for the past two weeks as several tankers that were sanctioned under the previous US administration have resumed hauling Russian crude, Bloomberg has reported, citing vessel-tracking data.
Western countries have placed restrictions on Russian vessels seeking to reduce Moscow’s oil revenues amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
The outlet cited US President Donald Trump’s refraining from imposing additional sanctions as the reason several of the vessels sanctioned under former President Joe Biden are back in operation.
“At least 18 of the 39 ships blacklisted by the US in 2023 and 2024 are now regularly hauling barrels from Russia’s ports, having previously been idle since they were sanctioned,” Bloomberg wrote on Tuesday.
Last year, the US and the European Union sanctioned Sovcomflot, Russia’s largest state-owned shipping company, along with 14 of its crude oil tankers. Washington and Brussels have also targeted Russia’s so-called shadow fleet, a network of older tankers used to circumvent the restrictions.
Since assuming office in January, US President Donald Trump has been actively involved in diplomatic efforts to broker a ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev. His approach to sanctions has also been more restrained compared to the previous administration.
While Trump has publicly threatened to impose additional “large-scale” or secondary sanctions on Russia if it does not agree to a peace deal, he has also floated the possibility of easing certain restrictions as part of negotiations.
Bloomberg also noted that Russia’s income from oil exports was little changed at about $1.3 billion a week, which suggests that higher flows were offset by lower prices. Crude prices have been declining in recent weeks due to increased supply and economic uncertainty.
Before the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, nearly half of Russian crude exports were destined for European countries. By 2024, that share plummeted to 10% due to EU bans. Russia redirected its supply to China and India, which accounted for 87% of Russian crude exports in 2024, up from 35% pre-conflict, according to figures from Oxford Analytica.
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