According to Reuters, India’s ship certification agency has stopped providing safety certifications to Russian oil tankers that are under U.S. sanctions, opting instead to use a domestic provider, according to information on its website.
This move comes amid broader actions by insurers and ship engine manufacturers who have withdrawn coverage for Russia’s tanker fleet due to sanctions imposed following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
As explained, the Indian Register of Ships (IRClass), which is a prominent member of The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), had been certifying Russian vessels over the past two years. However, in February, when the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 14 vessels operated by Russian shipping giant Sovcomflot, these vessels lost their safety certifications from IRClass.
Reuters states that currently, IRClass still covers two out of the 14 sanctioned vessels, namely the NS Consul and NS Creation, but has withdrawn certification for the other 12. These 12 vessels have since been transferred to the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RSClass) as of April, according to RSClass’s website.
It’s worth noting that RSClass lost its membership in IACS in March 2022, which could complicate these vessels’ access to certain ports, including in India. Most of these tankers, some of which have undergone name changes after losing IRClass certification, are now either stationed or traveling to Russian ports such as Nakhodka, Vladivostok, Ust-Luga, and Novorossisk, based on ship tracking data.
