Spain helps Russian tanker under sanctions

Spain helps sanctioned Russian tanker avoid detention

Spanish authorities did not detain the Russian oil tanker Chariot Tide, which is subject to European Union sanctions, despite the emergency situation in Spain's area of responsibility. This was reported by Reuters.

What happened

According to the agency, 22 January at the tanker Chariot Tide engine failure in the maritime zone for which Spain is responsible. However, instead of detaining the vessel, which is part of the sanctions list, Spanish A rescue vessel escorted him to international waters in the direction of Morocco.

After that, the tanker entered a Moroccan port, The company has avoided any restrictive measures on the part of the Spanish side.

Unanswered questions

The reasons why the Spanish authorities failed to take measures against the sanctioned vessel, officially are not disclosed. The situation has already raised questions about compliance with the EU sanctions regime and the effectiveness of control over the Russian «shadow fleet».

Context.

The European Union has tightened sanctions against Russian oil exports after the start of a full-scale war against Ukraine. At the same time, Russia is actively using tankers of the «shadow fleet», who often change flags, owners and routes to circumvent restrictions.

The Chariot Tide incident highlights Vulnerabilities of the sanctions mechanism and the dependence of its effectiveness on the actions of individual states.