Several operators at one of China’s largest oil ports are set to impose new restrictions widely seen as aimed at foreign “shadow fleet” tankers delivering sanctioned crude.
Why It Matters
Qingdao Port in eastern Shandong province handles about one-sixth of China’s crude imports. The measures come as Beijing’s refiners have increasingly relied on Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan oil, much of it carried by older or reflagged “shadow” vessels operating outside Western shipping and insurance systems.
Analysts say the steps mark a sign that international sanctions pressure is weighing more heavily on Chinese operators. The total share of sanctioned crude from the three countries rose to 27 percent of China’s oil imports in 2024, up from 15 percent in 2019, according to the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese foreign ministry with a request for comment via email.
What To Know
According to a notice reviewed by Bloomberg, the restrictions take effect November 1. They will bar tankers using fabricated International Maritime Organization numbers, vessels more than 31 years old and ships with a recent history of pollution or accidents. Vessels with expired or invalid certificates from international agencies will also be banned.
The terminal operators are Qingdao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal Co., Qingdao Gangxin Oil Products Co., Qingdao Lixing Logistics Co. and Qingdao Haiye Oil Terminal Co. The rules introduce a scoring system that assigns points based on vessel age, classification society and pollution liability coverage. Tankers rated below 55 on a 100-point scale will be considered high-risk and denied entry.
Both Huangdao and Dongjiakou, part of the broader Qingdao port area, have been named in U.S. sanction measures. Last month, Washington, D.C., blacklisted an oil terminal in Dongjiakou, saying it received Iranian shipments carried by sanctioned vessels. China is Iran’s largest oil buyer and has defended its purchases, rejecting unilateral sanctions.
Chinese purchases have soared since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, helping Moscow withstand international penalties and a G7 oil price cap, though there have been signs the threat of secondary sanctions is giving Chinese port operators pause.
In January, the state-owned Shandong Port Group barred U.S.-sanctioned Russian tankers from docking at its berths, though analysts said that step had limited effect because many independent refiners already rely on other shadow fleet vessels not covered by the ban.
What People Have Said
Emma Li, China analyst with tanker tracker Vortexa Analytics, told Reuters: “”The new tanker risk-rating rules appear to be a precautionary step driven by environmental concerns and rising U.S. sanctions pressure, even though the latter is not explicitly mentioned in the notice.”
Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, wrote on X: “This is yet another example of how international pressure and restrictions are gradually shrinking the space for sanctions evasion.”
What’s Next
While the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has been taking tougher steps over imports of sanctioned Russian oil—including hitting India with a 50 percent tariff in August—it has so far refrained from taking similar action against China.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that sanctioning Chinese refiners directly would spike global oil prices since much Russian crude bought by Beijing is refined and resold worldwide, including to Europe.
