The British Embassy in Georgia said on June 16 that the United Kingdom’s new sanctions package against Russia includes the vessel Silvar, which, according to the embassy, “accessed a Georgian port earlier this year.”
The vessel, identified as “IMO 9291262 (SILVAR)” in the United Kingdom’s latest Russia sanctions designations, is listed among the ships “involved in transporting Russian oil to third countries.”
The ship is among a total of 70 new targets, which, according to the UK government, include “Russia’s decrepit shadow fleet, military procurement supply chains and illicit finance networks used to circumvent sanctions.”
“The UK has now sanctioned almost 500 individuals, entities and ships under its Russia sanctions regime in 2026 alone, as allied support for Ukraine tops the G7 agenda,” the UK government said.
The announcement came just two days after British authorities seized the Russian “shadow fleet” vessel Smyrtos in the English Channel, with Georgia’s Maritime Transport Agency confirming on June 15 that three Georgian citizens were among the 24 crew members aboard.
Silvar in Georgian Port
While the British Embassy has not provided any further details about the vessel, a February 5 report by Georgia’s investigative outlet iFact said that Silvar, then sanctioned by Ukraine, entered Georgia’s territorial waters on January 30, 2026.
According to the outlet, citing Ukrainian intelligence, the vessel was part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.” It added that it entered Kulevi port on Georgia’s coast a day after departing Russia’s Novorossiysk oil terminal.
iFact estimated that the tanker unloaded “up to 24,000 tons of oil or petroleum products” at Kulevi port between February 2 and 6 before departing for Istanbul, where the outlet said it was expected to arrive on February 8.
iFact further said the vessel’s owner and management companies were also sanctioned by the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom in 2024 and 2025. The outlet said that, at the time of its report, the vessel was owned by an Indian company.
Kulevi Controversy
The Kulevi oil refinery, operated by Georgian company Black Sea Petroleum, has been under scrutiny in recent months over its alleged role in facilitating Russian oil exports. The controversy also extended to Kulevi port, which, on the other hand, is owned and operated by Azerbaijan’s SOCAR.
The port was initially considered for inclusion in the European Union’s 20th sanctions package against Russia. The EU ultimately decided not to include the port in the package, citing “positive commitments” by Georgian authorities and the terminal’s operator, SOCAR.
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