Dozens of tankers remain idle months after being sanctioned by the Treasury Department — a signal of Washington’s ability to disrupt Moscow’s oil supply chain if the country so chooses.
Since October, 40 ships involved in Russia’s oil trade have been added to the Treasury Department’s list of designated entities, mainly for violating a price cap designed to limit the Kremlin’s access to petrodollars.
Only one of them, the SCF Primorye, has picked up a shipment since its designation. It is headed to Asia, and if it can unload the barrels it is carrying without any problems, it could encourage Russia to deploy more ships again.
