In June-July 2022, the ports of the United Kingdom received Russian oil worth $94 million.
But according to the publication, officially, this import is not classed as coming from Russia – it came to the country through the use of loopholes in regulations that allow the origin of the oil to be obscured.
About $27 million of Russian oil has been delivered to the UK port of Immingham in Lincolnshire since March. However, the oil was registered as imports from Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
At the same time, since March, 10 British ports have received $919 million’s worth of Russian oil. Approximately $236 million of this amount came in June and July. Yet, according to official data, the United Kingdom did not buy Russian oil during this period.
That’s because the UK Office for National Statistics takes into account the sending country, not the oil producer. If the original producer of the oil is taken into account, UK imports of Russian oil in June and July were worth almost $95 million.
The Times said Russian oil tankers can evade sanctions by pumping their oil onto other ships while on the high seas, often disabling their GPS transponders so that they cannot be tracked while doing so.
In one incident recorded in May, the tanker Mariner III left the southern Russian port of Tuapse with a cargo of 200,000 barrels of oil. After five days at sea, the vessel anchored next to a large tanker owned by Greek company Marinoula. The ships halted near the town of Kalamata, in Greek waters.
Over the next 36 hours, both vessels were connected by large pipes. After taking on oil from Mariner III, the Greek vessel headed to the UK coast, where it moored in Immingham and unloaded about 250,000 barrels of oil on June 6.
In early November, the UK introduced additional restrictions on the purchase of Russian oil.
In early Meanwhile, the G7 countries and Australia have agreed to set a fixed ceiling for Russian oil prices, instead of the dynamic corridor as proposed earlier.
Have a look at Sputnik's infographic showing what countries continue to trade with Russia despite imposing sanctions.
US & Allies Close to Agreement on Russian Oil Price Cap at $60-$70, Report Suggests
The United States and its G7 and European allies are close to agreeing on a Russian oil price cap at $60-$70 per barrel later on Wednesday, American newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing sources in the know.
Later in the day, ambassadors from all 27 European Union states will meet to decide on the price cap, the report said. The decision to introduce the price cap should result from a unanimous vote by the EU members, while the G7 will vote in parallel to the European bloc.
Meanwhile, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday that the European Union (EU) is still deliberating on what the Russian oil price cap level should be and the United States is in touch with its European allies and partners on the issue.
“I'm not going to get ahead of the EU in terms of what the cap actually is. They are still deliberating on that,” Kirby said during a press briefing. “We are in touch with our EU partners about their progress towards this of course and trying to be as supportive as we can be, particularly in terms of the [price cap] implementation.”
If the countries agree on the terms of the price cap, it will be introduced starting December 5.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak stated on November 21 that Russia will not supply oil and petroleum products to countries that will apply the price cap principle, Moscow will redirect supplies to market-oriented partners or reduce production altogether.
"Russia confirms its status as a reliable energy supplier to the world market and the market status of our relations with partners. In this regard, we do not plan to supply oil and petroleum products to countries that will apply the principle of a price cap with the subsequent reorientation of supplies to market-oriented partners or with a production reduction," Novak said.
Western countries have been seeking ways to limit Russia's income from oil and gas exports since the country launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. In September, the G7 finance ministers confirmed their intention to impose a price cap on Russian oil and urged all nations to support the initiative. In October, the European Union introduced the eighth package of sanctions against Moscow, which included a legislative basis for setting a price cap for maritime shipments of Russian oil to third countries.
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