Starting November 1, China's Qingdao port is implementing new rules for oil tankers, banning vessels over 31 years old and those with invalid certificates. These restrictions follow US sanctions against oil carrier Qingdao Port Haiye Dongjiakou Oil for transporting Iranian oil.
New rules for oil tanker admission will come into force in the Chinese port of Qingdao on November 1. Vessels older than 31 years, as well as those that have changed their registration data with the International Maritime Organization or have invalid certificates, will be banned. This is reported by UNN with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
In addition, all oil vessels entering the port of Qingdao will be assessed using a special scoring system. The age and availability of liability insurance coverage for environmental pollution will be taken into account. A tanker with a low score may be denied mooring rights.
These restrictions were introduced after the US imposed sanctions in August against the oil carrier Qingdao Port Haiye Dongjiakou Oil, located in the port of Qingdao. The White House then stated that this operator received Iranian crude oil transported by a vessel already under official Washington's sanctions.
According to the analytical company Kpler, since the beginning of the year, the port of Qingdao has received about 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Iran. At the same time, official data on oil imports from this country have not been published since mid-2022. Oil loaded in Iranian ports usually travels from the Persian Gulf to transshipment points off the coast of Malaysia on old tankers. There, it is transshipped from one vessel to another in the middle of the sea. Tankers already sanctioned by the US are often used on the section between the Persian Gulf and Malaysia before the oil is transshipped to the so-called shadow fleet for the final voyage. Such dubious transportation schemes, according to Washington, increase the risks of accidents and environmental disasters.
American restrictions caused concerns among Chinese players and a sharp reaction from official Beijing. After all, tougher sanctions could further disrupt all crude oil imports to China. After all, the port of Qingdao handles about one-sixth of the total volume of "black gold" entering the PRC.
– adds the publication.
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