Dozens of oil tankers have halted operations following the U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia's shadow fleet, according to Reuters.

At least 65 oil tankers have dropped anchor in various locations, including off the coasts of China and Russia, following the announcement of a new package of sanctions by the United States on January 10.

According to writes Reuters.

Five of these tankers were located near Chinese ports, another seven were anchored near Singapore, while the rest remained close to Russia – in the Baltic Sea and the Far East.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions against the Russian oil companies "Gazprom Neft" and "Surgutneftegas," as well as against 183 vessels transporting Russian oil. The aim of these sanctions is to limit the revenues used by Moscow to finance its war against Ukraine.

It is worth noting that the relevant sanctions will take effect from March 12.

"The halting of trade with these tankers intensifies pressure on vessels that have already suffered from previous U.S. sanctions. This also applies to an additional 25 oil tankers that were anchored in various locations, including near Iranian ports and the Suez Canal," the publication states.

Some ports began taking action even before the sanctions were implemented, exacerbating the situation. Last week, China's Shandong Port Group prohibited access to its ports for tankers that are subject to U.S. sanctions.

Analysts estimate that approximately 10% of the global oil tanker fleet is currently under U.S. sanctions.

This is contributing to an increase in tanker rates, as vessels not under sanctions are in high demand.

According to market data, the average daily income for supertankers rose by 10% on Monday compared to the previous day, reaching around $26,000.

The increasing demand for exports to India and China from regions other than Russia will also boost the need for tankers that are not subject to sanctions.

Earlier, the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, reported that three Russian tankers carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil were anchored in the waters off eastern China following the imposition of U.S. sanctions.

As writes Bloomberg, the vessel Huihai Pacific was set to arrive in Dongjiakou in Shandong province on January 15 after loading nearly 770,000 barrels of crude oil from the VSTO in the Russian Pacific port of Kozmino earlier this month. However, over the weekend, it changed course and is now anchored offshore, loaded with oil.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced new extensive sanctions against the Russian energy sector on January 10, including the largest oil company "Gazprom Neft" and "Surgutneftegas," aimed at hindering Moscow in its war against Ukraine by depriving Russia of billions of dollars each month.