EU, according to recent data from LSEG and market sources cited by Reuters. Despite being added to the EU's sanctions list in June as part of the bloc's 14th sanctions package against Russia, these vessels continue to operate, highlighting the challenges in enforcing such measures. One of the sanctioned vessels, the Barbados-flagged Saga previously known as NS Spirit, was loaded on August 8 at Russia's Baltic port of Vysotsk with 33,000 metric tons of dark oil products.
The final destination of this shipment remains unclear, but the use of such vessels underscores Russia's continued efforts to circumvent EU sanctions. Interestingly, these sanctioned ships, which are barred from entering EU ports, remain active in international waters, where they are free to discharge their cargoes outside EU territories. This is particularly significant given the recent reports of Russian fuel oil being unloaded in Chinese ports by vessels on Iran-related sanctions lists.