Two allies were turned away from the Russian Federation to help carry oil bypassing sanctions - Reuters
According to journalists, this shift reflects a close relationship between the US and the companies that "manage the flags of" Liberia and Marshall Islands, whose headquarters are located not in their native countries but in Virginia. The publication writes that energy experts believe that the intensive use of these flags by the Russians in the past. This makes Russian vessels potentially vulnerable. They will be responsible for violating sanctions even after they move to the new flag.
The material states that commercial vessels must be registered or have a flag of a particular country in order to guarantee their compliance with internationally recognized rules of security and environmental protection. Journalists noted that since October 2023, the US Department of Finance has imposed sanctions on approximately 41 oil tankers for violation of the price ceiling for Russian oil. 24 of these vessels went under the Liberian flag, and one under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
Almost all other tankers went under the flag of Gabon. Earlier, the media reported that the terminal in Turkey refused to receive oil from the Russian Federation. According to journalists, threats from the United States to impose sanctions on financial companies conducting business from the Russian Federation have led to cooling of Turkish-Russian trade. On February 13, it became known that the Russian Federation blocked part of the fleet for transportation of oil.