Overview
- On Dec. 18, the Council of the EU added 41 ships to its sanctions list, lifting the tally of designated shadow‑fleet vessels to nearly 600.
- The newly listed ships are barred from EU ports and from a broad range of maritime transport services.
- Targets include non‑EU tankers used to evade the oil price cap, vessels supporting Russia’s energy sector, and ships transporting military equipment or stolen Ukrainian grain and cultural goods.
- The decision is tied to recent listings of nine entities that facilitate the shadow fleet’s operations, the Council said.
- EU officials say designations will now be made more frequently, as the IEA reports Russia’s oil export revenues fell to their lowest since the invasion in November.