U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced that their SHADOW Fleet Sanctions Act has passed through a committee business meeting.
In a joint statement, they said: “Today, our committee took action to crack down on illicit shadow fleet ships that Vladimir Putin uses to fund his brutal war against Ukraine. These ships and the oil sales they facilitate directly threaten American and European security and embolden Russia, China, Venezuela and Iran.
“We in the U.S. Senate need to do all we can to bring an end to this conflict, including driving Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, hamstringing the Russian economy and preventing further destruction in Ukraine. We are grateful for the support of our colleagues in passing this legislation and will continue to look for more ways to support Administration efforts to bring a lasting peace to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. We look forward to working with Leaders Thune and Schumer to see this important bill pass the Senate.”
The proposed legislation would broaden U.S. sanctions powers by targeting older oil tankers that have been reflagged by Russia in order to avoid current sanctions on Russian oil exports. This group of vessels is referred to as the Russian shadow fleet.
The bill also seeks direct sanctions on major Russian energy projects such as Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2. Additionally, it aims to expand sanctions on Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines so that U.S. measures match those already imposed by the European Union.
