The European Union approved its 18th sanctions package against Russia, which focused extensively on Russia's shadow fleet. Various measures aim to restrict the illegal transport of oil by the shadow fleet.
The captain of the crude oil-carrying tanker Jaguar, Abhinav Kamal, was added to the sanctions list, while the vessel itself had already been sanctioned on May 21. This ship was present in Estonia’s economic waters on May 13, but was soon escorted out through the action of the navy.
The Estonian Transport Administration analyzed the available information concerning both the captain and the owning company of the vessel. There were grounds for adding both the captain and the owning company to the sanctions list.
The tanker Jaguar had previously been sanctioned for the following reasons:
- It does not belong to an international insurance club, and therefore lacks reliable insurance coverage
- It has repeatedly changed its operating companies and flags of registry
- It has sailed without a flag and avoided monitoring by automatic identification systems
Captain Kamal was added to the sanctions list because he supports the operation of a vessel transporting oil originating from Russia using high-risk and illegal shipping practices.
In addition to the tanker’s captain, the owner and operator of Jaguar, Sapang Shipping Inc (Mauritius), the ship’s technical manager Zhu Jiang Shipmanagement Co. (Hong Kong), and Redbird Corporate Service Ltd (Mauritius), the representative of Sapang Shipping Inc responsible for compliance with local laws in Mauritius, were also added to the sanctions list.
According to public sources, Redbird Corporate Service Ltd is part of one of Mauritius’s most successful business groups and provides corporate and trust services.
The financial assets and economic resources of the sanctioned individuals and companies within the EU will be frozen. Additionally, Abhinav Kamal is banned from entering the European Union or transiting through it.
The sanctions proposals were prepared by the Estonian Transport Administration in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) also assisted in monitoring the sanctions.
