The UK would support a full maritime services ban on Russian crude oil and refined products, even without US backing, ministers said in the House of Commons Feb. 25.
In a business and trade subcommittee discussing the UK’s trade sanctions regime, Esther Blythe, the UK’s deputy director for Russia and Belarus sanctions, said that the government is in discussions with the EU over a maritime services ban on both crude and products, which would effectively replace the current “price cap” system.
The EU made a maritime services ban on operators supporting Russia’s crude trade the centerpiece of its 20th sanctions package proposal, which was intended to mark four years since the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
However, it has faced delays approving the text amid reported opposition from major shipping economies, Malta and Greece, as well as Hungary and Slovakia.
Brussels had initially proposed introducing a maritime services ban in conjunction with its G7 partners, including the US, UK, Canada and Japan, but has yet to receive public backing from most members in the alliance. In a Feb. 11 report, analysts at S&P Global Market Intelligence said a push for full G7 support could delay a decision by several months.
“We understand that our American colleagues are not quite there yet, we want to try and make sure that at least the UK and EU are joined at the hip on this,” Liam Byrne, MP and chair of the committee, said in the government session.
When pressed on whether the UK would act without Washington, UK Trade Minister Chris Bryant replied in the affirmative, but stressed a strong preference for the UK to coordinate with Brussels.
“We haven’t always been able to take all of our European colleagues with us. I think it is better when we do, it’s just more effective,” he said. “We moved in October and December without the Americans but with the EU,” he said.
Refining loophole
Additionally, the UK is developing its own regulations to prevent the import of fuels made from Russian oil, mirroring a significant EU policy move introduced on Jan. 21.
The UK banned direct imports of Russian crude in December 2022, and followed up with an embargo on refined products in February 2023, in line with EU timelines. However, the measures left the door open for Russian oil to be sent to countries like India and Turkey, refined, and returned to Europe as fuel, in a trade flow now known as the “refining loophole.”
Bryant said that the government was hoping to enforce new measures “very soon” to tackle the flow of such products, but declined to provide specific timelines.
His comments come after the UK unveiled its ninth package of sanctions against Russia on Feb. 24, targeting its state pipeline operator Transneft, dozens of new shadow tankers and two LNG terminals. By listing Transneft, the country targeted the company responsible for handling over 80% of Russia’s crude exports, effective from April 9 after a monthlong wind-down period.
However, the text provided carveouts for key export segments on the pipeline network, including the Druzhba pipeline system and Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which analysts say could weaken their impact.
Commenting on the government’s appetite to tighten UK oil sanctions or pull new regulatory levers, Esther Blythe, the Deputy Director for Russia and Belarus Sanctions, said that a softer price environment could encourage a tougher stance moving forward.
“Back in 2022, when we first started putting sanctions in place, there was a spike in the oil price, which is very counterproductive to the aim of our sanctions,” she said, contrasting the environment to the landscape today. “We now see that the global market has enough capacity that we can go further and do more,” Blythe said.
Global oil prices shed roughly 14% in 2025, and the Dated Brent benchmark is expected to ease further to average $59/b in 2026, according to S&P Global Energy CERA analysts. On Feb. 26, Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed Dated Brent at $72/b.
Source: Platts
