New Zealand Blacklists 65 Vessels in Fresh Crackdown on Russian Oil Exports

New Zealand has expanded its sanctions against Russia’s oil industry, targeting dozens of tankers and companies involved in circumventing global restrictions. 

The Gaze reports this, referring to Reuters.

The decision was announced by Foreign Minister Winston Peters following his meeting with the foreign ministers of five Nordic countries in Stockholm, Reuters reported.

According to Peters, Wellington has added 65 vessels linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet” to its sanctions list, along with individuals and entities from Belarus, Iran, and North Korea implicated in processing, transporting, or financing Russian oil.

“These actors are part of a broader network enabling the trade in Russian oil, undermining global efforts to curtail funding for Russia’s illegal war,” Peters said. “By targeting the oil supply chain, New Zealand is acting decisively in support of international efforts to bring Russia to the negotiating table.”

The so-called shadow fleet refers to tankers that secretly move sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, often operating under false identities and forged paperwork to conceal their routes. 

Many of these ships sail under different flags, disable tracking systems, and lack proper insurance, complicating global monitoring efforts.

Russia’s shadow fleet, estimated by Ukrainian intelligence to include more than 1,000 tankers, with at least 238 actively involved in sanctions evasion, has allowed Moscow to sustain oil exports to major buyers such as China and India.

As The Gaze previously reported, the EU is moving to strengthen its legal framework for inspecting vessels linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” amid mounting concern that these ships, used to evade oil sanctions, pose growing threats to maritime safety, the environment, and even European security.