Headlines
EU sanctions may put $16b hole in Russia’s tanker fleet

Russia may have to expand its own tanker fleet and attract more tonnage from non-western owners in order to keep moving oil after upcoming EU sanctions – and the details suggest that it will be costly.
In a market report released Friday, shipbroker Gibson said that it expects that more than 200 tankers may have to exit Russian trades before December 5, when the EU’s Russian oil shipping ban (or, if revised, a “price cap”) goes into effect. “It is reasonable to assume that there might be insufficient tonnage to transport Russian oil to market, particularly given that those barrels currently traded to Europe will have to be redirected longer haul,” predicted Gibson.
If the Russian fleet is undersupplied after the departure of western tonnage, sale & purchase deals could rebalance the trade by transferring more ships to parties willing and able to work with Russia. This may already be happening: Gibson counts roughly 100 Aframax and Suezmax sales this year to buyers who would not be affected by EU restrictions, and 40 more VLCC sales.
This ownership shift may be visible in the ice-class tanker fleet, where vessels have changed hands at a rapid clip this year. About four million dwt worth of ice class tanker tonnage – more than 40 ships – were sold over the summer, a Gibson broker told Bloomberg last month. This winter, these vessels will be needed to get Russian oil out of the Baltic from the busy terminals near St. Petersburg.
As it stands today, tanker broker Braemar believes that Russia will come up short by about 70 Aframaxes and 35 Suezmaxes. Filling that gap may be costly, the head of Russia’s second-largest bank said last week.
“According to our estimates, only the tanker fleet expansion may require at least [$16 billion] in the near time. Amid the absence of external financing and limited financial flows of the companies, the role of banks in the attraction of required investments will only increase,” said VTB chairman Andrey Kostin, according to Piter.TV and PortNews.
Headlines
Aftermath of Adeyanju’s exit, crisis resurfaces in MWUN

Headlines
NIMASA embarks on digital revolution to plug revenue leakages, enhance optimum operations

— spurns smear campaign against the process
“To set the records straight, following a comprehensive internal review of operational systems, the current leadership of NIMASA resolved to embrace technology as a means of enhancing the Agency’s capacity to deliver on its regulatory mandate more effectively and to bring into the coffers of government additional revenue ensure funds due government does not end up in private hands.
“A pivotal innovation in this regard is the Maritime Enhanced Monitoring System (MEMS).
“The additional recipients targeted are, waste reception services, a routine operation for both domestic and international vessels have traditionally lacked proper tracking, resulting in unmonitored activities and significant revenue losses.
“Marine pollution control, another critical area of NIMASA’s mandate, has similarly been constrained by limited digital tools. In the absence of satellite tracking and automated reporting, pollution events often go unnoticed or are reported too late to mitigate their impact.
“It is important to emphasize that past revenue shortfalls experienced by the Agency mainly stemmed from outdated manual processes, fragmented data systems, and insufficient digital enforcement mechanisms which allowed some external elements to capitalize on the loopholes for personal gains .
“The current reforms being implemented by NIMASA are focused squarely on overcoming these limitations.
“The public is therefore advised to disregard the misleading reports and instead support NIMASA’s transformation journey as it aligns with the broader national objectives of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
“The Agency remains committed to strengthening Nigeria’s maritime governance, ensuring environmental safety, and optimizing revenue for the nation.
“It is worthy of note that the Deep Blue Project of the Agency which now enjoys global recognition also witnessed such resistance at the initial stage” the agency noted.
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