UAE bans entry of tankers from Russia's shadow fleet - Bloomberg
Photo: UAE bans ships flying the Eswatini flag (Getty Images)
The United Arab Emirates has banned ships flying the flag of the African country Eswatini from entering its ports. This is the latest sign that the Middle Eastern country is distancing itself from risky vessels that help transport Russian oil, according to Bloomberg.
According to a government circular published on the Fujairah port website, the flag of Eswatini is now on the list restricting entry to UAE ports and waters. Notably, the flag of Cameroon was added to the list earlier this year.
Vessels flying both flags have transported oil for Moscow after it assembled a shadow fleet of ships to facilitate the movement of sanctioned shipments.
The ban will not apply to vessels assessed by a broader international classification body.
The agency learned that of the 18 ships flying the Eswatini flag visible in ship tracking data, ownership of 16 is unknown.
According to Kpler, several tankers on this list have transported oil produced in Russia and Iran.
We reported that last month, Russian oil exports from major western ports fell to their lowest level in nearly 20 months.
The most notable reduction was in shipments to China.
