Trump Could Ease Sanctions on Russian Shadow Fleet to Reduce Diesel Prices

Possible Tanker Sanctions Relief

An official said any transaction approvals and sanctions removals would be handled individually. The official said the change would take ships out of the shadow fleet and make them available for legitimate global commerce.

Doubts Over Shipping Costs

Energy Aspects said allowing sanctioned tankers to operate would be unlikely to ease record freight rates as hoped. The consultancy had warned clients that the proposal would not quickly resolve shipping costs.

Britain and other European countries accuse Russia of using foreign-flagged tankers to keep exporting oil despite sanctions. The UK says it has sanctioned more than 500 suspected shadow fleet vessels and estimates that they carry about three-quarters of Russia’s crude output.

Fuel Prices And Iran Measures

The US imposed new sanctions on Iran the previous week, targeting what it called the country’s illicit maritime infrastructure. The measures came after nearly eight months of war.

Analysts Question Lasting Impact

Analysts said the agreement was unlikely to keep fuel prices lower over time. Oil market researcher Rory Johnston, founder of CommodityContext.com, dismissed the deal in a post on X.

The reported proposal has yet to establish whether sanctions relief would make a meaningful difference to tanker freight rates. Energy Aspects also said the measure was unlikely to produce the desired result.