• 3 minutes e-car sales collapse
  • 6 minutes America Is Exceptional in Its Political Divide
  • 11 minutes Perovskites, a ‘dirt cheap’ alternative to silicon, just got a lot more efficient
  • 2 hours GREEN NEW DEAL = BLIZZARD OF LIES
  • 6 days If hydrogen is the answer, you're asking the wrong question
  • 8 hours How Far Have We Really Gotten With Alternative Energy
  • 10 days Biden's $2 trillion Plan for Insfrastructure and Jobs
New Bitcoin Whales Emerge in the Corporate World

New Bitcoin Whales Emerge in the Corporate World

MicroStrategy is the world's largest…

EU Greenlights Embargo On Seaborne Russian Oil

European Union ambassadors approved on Thursday the proposed partial ban on Russian oil imports into the EU as part of a sanctions package that also aims to cut Russia off the tanker insurance market and limit its ability to redirect seaborne oil exports to third countries.

After weeks of negotiations, the EU leaders clinched a deal late on Monday to ban Russian oil imports via sea by the end of the year. For weeks, Hungary had blocked a decision on an embargo after the European Commission proposed a full ban by the end of the year on all Russian oil imports. The initial proposal was watered down to an agreement on a ban on seaborne imports by the end of the year, with pipeline crude exempted, for now.

EU envoys who met on Thursday approved the plan to ban Russian seaborne imports of crude in six months and refined products in eight months, sources with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.

The six sanctions package also kicks Russia’s biggest bank, Sberbank, out of the international banking payment system SWIFT.

In one of the farthest-reaching measures yet, the sanctions package includes a ban on tanker insurance for Russian shipments to third countries, to take effect six months after the package is formally adopted.

The UK and the European Union have agreed to jointly shut off Russia’s access to oil cargo insurance, the Financial Times reported earlier this week, which would severely affect its ability to export crude.

This will likely contribute substantially to the already considerable turmoil in international oil markets, ultimately pushing prices even higher.

“It’s hard to underplay how significant a move this is by the UK and EU. Taking out insurance will have a huge impact on Russia’s ability to export its oil. It’s one of the toughest sanctions Europe has in its armoury,” said RBC Capital markets’ Helima Croft, as quoted by the FT.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:



Join the discussion | Back to homepage



Leave a comment
  • Mamdouh Salameh on June 02 2022 said:
    The EU ban on Russian seaborne oil exports estimated at 1.95 million barrels a day (mbd) hardly affects Russia since it can easily find buyers in the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, Russia is already boosting its exports to both China and India the world’s largest and third largest crude oil importers who between them account for 26% of globally-traded oil. On the other hand, the EU decision adds billions to its oil-import bill thus plunging its economy into recession.

    In fact China and India as well as Asian oil traders and even Western oil traders through their proxies are competing for Russian oil barrels. China’s Russian seaborne oil imports have risen from 750,000 barrels a day (b/d) last year to 1.0 mbd in the first quarter of 2022. Another 600,000 barrels a day (b/d) of Russian oil are piped to China raising the total to 1.6 mbd.

    India, on the other hand, has been importing record volumes of Russian crude. In April and May this year India imported 24 (and 28 million barrels of Russian oil respectively.

    Moreover, the EU ban on tanker insurance for Russian shipments to third countries will hardly impact Russian oil exports. The reason is that Russia could ensure its own crude tankers or give a price discount to its customers to provide the insurance themselves.

    Dr Mamdouh G Salameh
    International Oil Economist
    Visiting Professor of Energy Economics at ESCP Europe Business School, London

Leave a comment

EXXON Mobil -0.35
Open57.81 Trading Vol.6.96M Previous Vol.241.7B
BUY 57.15
Sell 57.00
Oilprice - The No. 1 Source for Oil & Energy News