US Removes Sanctions on Three Russian Vessels, Says Move Not Policy Shift

The United States has removed sanctions on three Russian-flagged vessels, including container ships Fesco Moneron and Fesco Magadan and the cargo ship Sv Nikolay, the Treasury Department said on Tuesday, in a move officials described as routine and not indicative of a broader change in Russia policy.

The ships were taken off the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list following what officials said was a standard review process.  ?

A U.S. Treasury spokesperson said the step was “not indicative of a broader shift in the U.S. Russia policy,” adding that OFAC regularly updates its sanctions lists. The spokesperson said the removals were conducted “in the ordinary course of business” after a “thorough review.”  ?

The vessels had originally been sanctioned in 2022 as part of sweeping measures targeting Russia’s financial and logistics networks following its invasion of Ukraine. The container ships Fesco Moneron and Fesco Magadan were linked to Russia’s Far East shipping group FESCO and were designated due to ties to Promsvyazbank, a state-owned lender targeted by U.S. sanctions. 

The cargo ship Sv Nikolay was sanctioned separately in connection with measures against Alfa-Bank, one of Russia’s largest private lenders. Ukrainian officials have also alleged the vessel was involved in transporting grain taken from Russian-occupied territories.  ?

While the Treasury did not provide vessel-specific reasoning for the delistings, officials said such decisions can follow petitions from sanctioned parties, internal reviews, or shifting national security considerations. “The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish but to change behavior and to promote accountability,” a spokesperson said previously.  ?

Separately, the move comes amid broader technical adjustments to sanctions enforcement, including temporary authorizations allowing certain Russian oil cargoes loaded before mid-March to be delivered and unloaded, easing pressure on global energy markets.  ?

The delisting allows the vessels to access ports, insurance, and maritime services previously restricted under U.S. sanctions, though Washington emphasized that its overall sanctions regime against Russia remains in force.  ?

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