EU’s full maritime services ban on Russian crude to widen compliance net

Unveiling the new measures on 6 February, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the proposed package – subject to unanimous approval by the bloc’s 27 member states – would further restrict Russia’s energy revenues.

She added that, given the global nature of shipping, the EU intends to co-ordinate implementation with international partners. “As shipping is a global business, we propose to enact this full ban in co-ordination with like-minded partners following a decision at the G7 level,” she said.

At present, the EU enforces a price cap mechanism on the transport of Russian crude oil, which was recently revised to US$44.10 per barrel, effective from 1 February.

“The direction is clear: enforcement is moving beyond ‘who owns the cargo’ towards ‘who provides the services’ that make the trade possible – from shipping and maintenance to the financial rails behind it,” Kpler senior risk and compliance analyst Dimitris Ampatzidis told Riviera.

He explained that once regulators restrict services linked to crude oil shipping – as well as LNG tankers and icebreakers – the compliance perimeter expands significantly. “It pulls in insurers, technical managers, brokers and maintenance providers, well beyond traders and shipowners,” he said.

The move marks a significant shift in policy, going beyond the previous price-cap regime by banning Western companies from providing shipping, insurance and other maritime support services linked to Russian crude oil exports, Reed Smith sanctions partner Alexander Brandt said.

Rather than gradually lowering the oil price cap, EU leaders have concluded that controlling Russia’s oil revenues through broad restrictions on maritime services is necessary to squeeze state profits, Mr Brandt noted. He added that the measures build on steps taken by the UK and US last year targeting Russia’s four largest oil producers.

However, Mr Brandt cautioned that the impact of the new approach remains uncertain, warning that a full-service ban could further drive the proliferation of the so-called parallel fleet – an issue that has become a source of growing international concern.

Shadow fleet and LNG services

Ms von der Leyen also highlighted that the EU is targeting 43 additional vessels linked to Russia’s so-called ’shadow fleet,’ bringing the total number of blacklisted ships to 640.

The package further seeks to “make it more difficult for Russia to acquire tankers to be used for the shadow fleet,” while introducing sweeping bans on providing maintenance and other services for LNG tankers and icebreakers, measures aimed at undermining Russia’s gas export projects.

These steps complement the bloc’s ban on LNG imports under the 19th sanctions package and the REPowerEU Regulation.

Beyond maritime measures, the proposed package also targets financial services, including Russia’s banking system and crypto-related activity, and introduces import bans on metals, chemicals and critical minerals not previously sanctioned.

“This proposed EU package targets the core mechanics that keep Russian revenues flowing: maritime services, shadow-fleet shipping and the payment channels that enable sanctioned trade,” Mr Ampatzidis said.

Anti-circumvention signal

In addition, the EU plans to activate the anti-circumvention tool for the first time, proposing a ban on exporting computer numerical control machines and radios to jurisdictions deemed at high risk of re-exporting such goods to Russia.

Mr Ampatzidis described the anti-circumvention signal as equally significant. “Diversion risk is increasingly treated as a compliance trigger,” he said. “Routeing and destination can become red flags even when counterparties appear clean on paper.”

“Given this shift, companies should stress-test their exposure across three layers: vessels and service providers, payments and intermediaries, and trade-routeing risk. If any one of these layers is weak, the overall control framework can fail,” he concluded.