BRUSSELS, January 8. /TASS/. The European Commission (EC) has proposed that EU countries decide for themselves whether to follow the US example regarding Russian tankers, European Commission Spokesperson Anitta Hipper told a briefing in Brussels when asked about the seizure of the oil tanker Marinera by the US.
The EC shares the common goal of imposing sanctions against the shadow fleet and combating evasion, Hipper said. Asked whether EU countries might begin to act like the US by seizing Russian tankers, she stated that detaining those vessels for inspection is the responsibility of EU countries, not the European Commission. She did not answer the question whether the EU sanctions regime allows for the detention of ships.
The EU has already blacklisted a total of 597 tankers that are allegedly transporting Russian oil under foreign flags, which in the West are called the shadow fleet, Hipper noted. The EU's blacklisting of a vessel prohibits it from entering EU ports, and it also prohibits European banks and insurance companies from providing it with any financial or other services.