Russia Switches Oil Tankers as Sweeping US Sanctions Bite

Russia swapped oil tankers between its export terminals in the Baltic and Arctic Sea, an example of the logistical contortions facing Moscow following sweeping sanctions imposed by former US President Joe Biden.

Two unsanctioned vessels performed mid-ocean U-turns in the days after the US designated 161 vessels tied to the Russian oil trade. They’re now sailing toward the Baltic Sea rather than the Arctic where they had been going. Simultaneously, three sanctioned vessels that were in the Baltic are moving to the Arctic — where all major oil export infrastructure was blacklisted anyway.

Using vessels that aren’t on the sanctions ...