A ship from the British company STS Marine Transfets helped oil tankers from Russia refuel off the coast of Suffolk in England.
The Independent reported that this was not a violation of the sanctions regime, but rather loopholes that could be worked around.
The newspaper and the non-government organization Global Witness confirmed that in May a British ship helped transport 14,000 tons of fuel oil from the tanker Conti Benguela to the tanker Matilda, which was sailing from St. Petersburg with a cargo of Russian oil and moored in international waters off the coast of England. Then the Nolde tanker was refueled in the same way.
She noted that the refueling allowed the tankers to deliver 165,000 tons of oil to Singapore.
None of the tankers are owned by Russian companies, but the newspaper notes that it is difficult to pinpoint their ultimate owner.
According to expert Louis Goddard, ships registered in Greece, Cyprus and Malta are often used to transport Russian oil to Asian countries, which reduces the effectiveness of Western sanctions.
Source: agencies