Sanctioned Russian Oil Vanishes From Tracking In Gulf of Oman

By Julian Lee

Feb 21, 2025 (Bloomberg) –A cargo of Russian oil that’s under heavy US sanctions vanished from global tracking systems, evidence of how difficult it will be to keep track of — and enforce — the measures.

The 900-foot oil tanker Meru left Murmansk in the Arctic Sea on Jan. 20, ten days after the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed most-aggressive sanctions on Russia’s oil trade — especially those from the Arctic.

The Meru was initially destined for the Indian port of Vadinar, according to shipping information seen by Bloomberg — even if the tanker’s digital tracking system showed “Suez” until it reached the southern Red Sea. At that point, it …