Data through 2026-09-13 (13 September 2026)
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EU ban on seaborne Russian crude and the G7 price cap take effect

EU ban on seaborne Russian crude and the G7 price cap take effect. The disruption ran from 2022-12-05 (5 December 2022), and is ongoing, affecting Primorsk, Ust-Luga, Novorossiysk. No measured effect is published for this event; the effect section explains why.

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Key facts

Started
2022-12-05 (5 December 2022)
Ended
Not ended
Status
ongoing
Severity
2 Moderate
Scope
regional
Chokepoints
None
Lanes
None
Confidence
high: The dates, the scope of the prohibitions and the cap levels come from Council press releases and European Commission guidance.
First reported
2022-12-03 (3 December 2022)
  • Severity basis: No port or chokepoint stoppage criterion applies; the measure restricted who may buy and carry cargo loaded at the Russian crude export ports from 2022-12-05 onward, for more than seven days, without closing any port.

What happened

From 2022-12-05 (5 December 2022) the European Union ban on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil applied, together with a prohibition on the maritime transport of Russian crude to third countries and on related services, unless the cargo was bought at or below the price cap agreed with the Price Cap Coalition. The Council set that cap at 60 United States dollars a barrel on 2022-12-03 (3 December 2022) and allowed a transition period of 45 days for cargoes loaded before 2022-12-05. The same prohibitions applied to refined products from 2023-02-05, with caps agreed on 2023-02-04. The measures affect cargoes loading at the Russian crude export ports, including Primorsk, Ust Luga and Novorossiysk.

Measured effect

No measured effect is published for this event. This event does not have a dated physical effect on port calls or transits that a daily series could measure.

The measure changed who may buy Russian seaborne crude and who may carry or insure it, not whether cargo could load. Any change in tanker calls at Primorsk, Ust Luga or Novorossiysk after 2022-12-05 would sit alongside the price cap, the seasonal Baltic pattern and production decisions, so we do not claim a measured effect for it.

Timeline

  1. The Council sets the price cap for Russian crude at 60 United States dollars a barrel, applicable from 2022-12-05, with a transition period of 45 days for cargoes loaded before that date. [s1]
  2. The European Union prohibition on maritime transport of Russian crude oil to third countries and on related services takes effect, with an exemption for cargoes bought at or below the cap. [s1] [s3]
  3. The Council agrees price caps for Russian refined petroleum products, to apply from 2023-02-05. [s2]
  4. The prohibitions and the cap extend to refined petroleum products. [s2] [s3]

Cause

The Council of the European Union adopted the import ban and the transport prohibition as part of its sanctions against Russia, and set the price cap in cooperation with the Price Cap Coalition. Attributed by: Council of the European Union. [s1] [s2] [s3]

Corrections

No corrections to this record as of 2026-09-16 (16 September 2026).

Sources

  1. [s1] Council of the European Union, Russian oil: EU agrees on level of price cap, published 2022-12-03 (3 December 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)
  2. [s2] Council of the European Union, EU agrees on level of price caps for Russian petroleum products, published 2023-02-04 (4 February 2023), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)
  3. [s3] European Commission, Guidance on the Russian oil price cap, accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)