Tankers have gathered near Russia's key crude oil port of Kozmino in the Far East after the United States imposed sanctions on Russia's energy sector, Bloomberg reports.

According to the publication, there are currently 9 tankers near the port of Kozmino, which is more than usual. Another 11 vessels are either approaching the port or have recently left it.

This concentration of tankers near Kozmino demonstrates how severely the large-scale US sanctions imposed on January 10 have disrupted Russian oil exports, Bloomberg analysts note.

"US sanctions have previously hit tankers carrying Russian oil hard. Traders and representatives of shipping companies believe that if this happens in the case of the Kozmino, then Moscow will have a hard time finding a sufficient number of vessels," the article says.

According to Bloomberg, 27 tankers transported ESPO oil from December 2024 to January 10. After the introduction of US sanctions, only one tanker loaded the oil - Li Bai, which still remains at anchor in the Kozmino area after loading.

However, on January 11, the sanctioned vessel "Baikal Bay" loaded oil extracted within the framework of the Sakhalin-2 project, presumably in violation of sanctions. And on Sunday, January 19, it was unloaded in the Chinese port of Lianyungang, the publication notes.

Traders and shippers said that the shortage of vessels could slow loading and exports from Kozmino and ultimately lead to a reduction in the export of Far Eastern oil.

As reported by "Ukrainian Energy", on January 10, the United States imposed sanctions against Gazprom Nafta and Surgutnaftogaz, as well as against 183 vessels carrying Russian oil. After the announcement of the sanctions, at least 65 oil tankers anchored, including off the coast of China and Russia.