Articles
Violations of the embargo on the imports of crude oil from Russia into the EU in July 2023 (database)
31 July 2023
In July 2023, 2 violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil from the Black Sea were recorded. All of them involved the delivery of oil to a transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf off the coast of Greece. 1 such voyage was made by tanker belonging to company from Greece, 1 – by a shipowner from Turkey. A total of 222,316 tons of Russian crude oil were delivered to the transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf in violation of the embargo, compared with 1,134,445 tons in June 2023 and 1,554,020 tons in May 2023.
Violations of the embargo on seaborne imports of Russian petroleum products from Black Sea ports into the EU in July 2023 (database)
31 July 2023
In July 2023, 22 violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian petroleum products (excluding crude oil) from the Black Sea were recorded. 5 direct voyages from Russian ports to those of EU countries were made. The remaining 17 voyages included delivery of petroleum products to transshipment points: 14 – in the Laconian Gulf off the coast of Greece, 1 – off the coast of the Greek island of Crete, and 2 – off the coast of Malta.
Crimean Titan: Under a Russian Holding or a Ukrainian Tank?
21 July 2023
The Crimean Titan may become part of a large titanium holding company being created in Russia by the companies closely affiliated with the Rotenberg brothers or a «fallen hero» holding back the Ukrainian offensive. Either one of the diametrically opposed scenarios is a real possibility in the near future. In any case, in recent months, Crimean patriots have been regularly reporting that Russia has been taking steps to turn the Crimean Titan into a fortification on the path of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Since May this year, Ukrainian officials have been also voicing such opinion.
Anticipating the Next Black Sea Shipping Crisis
19 July 2023
For centuries, Russia has sought to warp the Black Sea balance of power for its own gain. Since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, destabilizing allied Black Sea military and commercial operations while maintaining Russian commercial shipping became a natural priority.
Trends in Russia’s crude oil exports from Black Sea ports in June 2023: The growth continues
13 July 2023
In June 2023, the growth in Russian crude oil exports from the ports on the Black and Azov Seas continued. These seaborne exports amounted to 4,994,141 tons (a slight month-on-month increase of 22,000 tons, or 0.44%). However, in June, an important change took place. Whereas in April and May 2023 the growth was achieved due to EU countries (because of embargo violations), in June 2023, the high level of exports was (as well as in March) maintained by shipment to non-EU countries. This change occurred since tankers violating the embargo will be prohibited from entering the ports of EU countries from 24 July 2023.
Foreign Merchant Ships Calling at Russian Ports Before Proceeding to the Ukrainian Ones
01 July 2023
Initially, a direct voyage from a Russian port to a Ukrainian one during the war struck us as a coincidence that, however, prompted us to start checking for similar voyages by other vessels. As a result, we've easily identified a fairly significant number of vessels that arrived at Ukrainian ports having previously called at the Russian ports. For security reasons, including counteracting possible sabotage, special decisions should be made to prevent maritime businesses from chartering vessels that operate to Russian ports for the transportation of goods to/from Ukrainian ports or simply ban such vessels from entering Ukrainian ports.
Violations of the embargo on seaborne imports of Russian petroleum products from Black Sea ports into the EU in June 2023 (database)
30 June 2023
In June 2023, 22 violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian petroleum products (excluding crude oil) from the Black Sea were recorded. 7 direct voyages with petroleum products from Russian ports to the ports of EU countries were made. The remaining 14 voyages included delivery of petroleum products to transshipment points: 12 – in the Laconian Gulf off the coast of Greece, 2 – off the coast of Malta.
250 tankers exported crude oil and petroleum products from Russian Black Sea ports in June 2023: The database
30 June 2023
The Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies and BlackSeaNews, based on the results of its own monitoring, presents a database of seaborne exports of crude oil and petroleum products from Russian ports on the Black and Azov Seas in June 2023. In total, in June 2023, 250 tankers exported oil and petroleum products from Russian ports (excluding exports to Bulgaria and Romania). They transported a total of about 15.5 million tons of cargo.
Violations of the embargo on the imports of crude oil from Russia into the EU in June 2023 (database)
30 June 2023
In June 2023, 9 violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil from the Black Sea were recorded. All of them involved the delivery of oil to a transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf off the coast of Greece. 3 such voyages were made by tankers belonging to companies from Turkey, shipowners from Greece and Liberia performed 2 voyages each. Tankers, owned by companies from Latvia and India made 1 voyage each. A total of 1,134,445 tons of Russian crude oil were delivered to the transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf in violation of the embargo, compared with 1,554,020 tons in May 2023 and 801,594 tons in April 2023.
In June 2023, 47 Tankers exported Kazakh Oil from the Russian Black Sea Port of Novorossiysk (Database)
30 June 2023
In June 2023, a total of 47 tankers exported CPC oil from the Russian port of Novorossiysk, excluding the exports to Bulgaria and Romania. Together they exported a total of about 6.5 million tons of oil, including 4 million tons to the EU and 2.5 million tons to other countries.
Ukraine’s Strategic Partners: Ukraine in Azerbaijani Information Space (5)
30 June 2023
With regard to Ukrainian topics in the Azerbaijani media, there are several factors that are important to take into account. First of all, we should keep in mind that before the 2022 Russian aggression, Ukraine was not of much interest to the Azerbaijani authorities and, accordingly, to the media, that prioritized other countries in the region and the world, so the number of publications was generally lower when compared to the coverage of Azerbaijani topics in Ukraine.
The number of violations of the EU-G7 embargo on seaborne imports of Russian petroleum products from the Black Sea in April-May 2023 increased significantly
26 June 2023
In May 2023, the number of violations of the EU and G7 embargo on the imports of Russian petroleum products from the Black Sea grew considerably. The volume of petroleum products shipped amounted to 896,840 tons (a 23.5% increase compared to April). Most violations – 17 out of 22 – included shipment of petroleum products to transshipment points in the maritime exclusive economic zones of EU countries – Greece (16) and Malta (1). However, the number of brazen violations, where tankers made voyages directly to EU and US ports, also rose sharply in May. Whereas in February 2023 there was 1 such case, in March and April – 2 in each month, in May, there were as many as 5 such voyages.
Violations of the embargo on crude oil imports from Russia to the EU in May 2023: Even direct voyages to Spain and the Netherlands were recorded
26 June 2023
In May 2023, the direct voyages of tankers carrying Russian oil from Black Sea ports to EU countries resumed. First, the Greek tanker EURONIKE, sailing under the flag of Malta, arrived from Novorossiysk, Russia, in Bilbao, Spain, with 160,000 tons of oil. Then, the Greek tanker SEARUNNER, sailing under the flag of Malta, delivered over 100,000 tons of oil from the Russian port of Taman to the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. In May, 11 tankers carrying Russian oil arrived at the transshipment point off the coast of Greece. The total volume of oil imported in violation of the embargo amounted to 1,554,020 tons – almost twice as much as in April.
Strategic Partners: Situation in the National Media of Ukraine (4)
21 June 2023
In the 2022 Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders, Ukraine ranked 106th out of 180, losing 9 positions over the course of the year, but still remaining way ahead of Azerbaijan. The main reason for the drop in the ranking has certainly been Russia's full-scale military aggression, that has had a detrimental effect on all fields of life, including the information space.
Trends in Russia’s crude oil exports from Black Sea ports in April-May 2023: Still at record highs
14 June 2023
In May 2023, the exports of Russian crude oil from Black Sea ports recovered and reached nearly 5 million tons. This growth occurred due to exports to EU countries – mainly to the transshipment point in the Gulf of Laconia off the coast of Greece. In May 2023, exports of Russian crude oil to EU countries through transshipment rose by 93.9%, compared to the previous month. Thus, it looks as if Russian oil traders and tanker owners have realised that the embargo circumvention scheme through the transshipment point off the coast of Greece works smoothly.