As the U.S. tries to convince allies to adopt similar export controls against China (see 2210270047 and 2210070049), some trading partners have voiced concerns over the U.S.’s strategy, saying they would rather have worked on crafting restrictions alongside the U.S. as opposed to having controls forced upon them, a Commerce Department official said.
The European Council Nov. 28 added sanctions violations to its list of "EU crimes." The move comes amid the EU's bevy of sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. The council said "it is essential that these measures are fully implemented," with listing sanctions violations as an EU crime the first of two steps to ensure harmonized sanctions enforcement across the bloc, the council said.
The U.K.'s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on Nov. 21 released guidance on the U.K.'s ban on Russian oil and oil products meant for entry into Britain. The guidance explains how to find the origin of oil imports to the U.K. Other sections of the guidance break down the context for the U.K. sanctions on Russian oil, details of the ban and how the ban on Russian oil and oil products will be enforced.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control this week issued a determination that will prohibit certain shipping services related to Russian oil, and said it will soon announce a price cap on Russian fuel alongside its G-7 partners. The agency also issued a guidance outlining how it plans to implement the price cap -- including compliance requirements for U.S. service providers -- and three related general licenses.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is listing mesocarb, a substance with stimulating properties marketed in Russia for treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that has no approved medical use and no known therapeutic application in the U.S., under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a notice published Nov. 22. “This action imposes the regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions applicable to schedule I controlled substances on persons who handle (manufacture, distribute, reverse distribute, import, export, engage in research, conduct instructional activities or chemical analysis with, or possess), or propose to handle mesocarb," DEA said. The listing takes effect Dec. 22.
Canada this week imposed additional sanctions on the Alexander Lukashenko regime in Belarus for aiding Russia’s invasion and war in Ukraine. The new designations apply to 22 Belarusian officials, including people involved in stationing and transporting Russian military personnel and equipment. Canada also sanctioned 16 Belarusian companies involved in military manufacturing, technology, engineering, banking and railway transportation.
The U.S. is considering additional sanctions against Iran for supplying Russia with drones, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said during a Nov. 22 call with reporters. The Biden administration has already designated Iranian firms and people involved in the sales of unmanned aerial vehicles to Russia (see 2211150060), including for UAV support efforts in Ukraine, but Kirby said the U.S. can still impose further sanctions.
Ton miles, a key industry measure representing the volume of cargo transported by oil tankers multiplied by the distance it travels by sea, are expected to jump by 4.3% this year, resulting in a surge in revenue for supertankers due to sanctions stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported. According to data from Clarkson Research Services, daily earnings for the industry's largest supertankers rose to $99,628 on Nov. 18, a mark which is four times the average of the past four years. All of this shows the disruption in the crude oil trading market, Bloomberg said. The disruption stems from Europe's move to ban purchases of Russian oil, which takes effect in December. As a result, cargoes flow instead from Asia, resulting in ships travelling thousands of more miles and driving a key aspect of demand, Bloomberg said.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control on Nov. 21 extended a Russia-related general license that authorizes the payment of certain taxes and import fees to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation or the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation despite the sanctions imposed on those entities. General License 13C, which replaces GL 13B (see 2209080047), extends the authorization through 12:01 a.m. EST on March 7, 2023. GL13B was scheduled to expire Dec. 7.
The U.K.'s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation on Nov. 17 issued a new general license that authorizes certain payments to energy companies for gas or electricity. The payments can be made to Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM)-registered energy companies from a frozen U.K. bank account via transfer or direct debit. The OFGEM-registered companies can receive the payments and make return payments to frozen bank accounts, the license said. Designated parties can also receive return payments from energy companies into a frozen U.K. bank account. The license permits this activity through April 16, 2023.