Tanker switching surges for Russian oil as Moscow turns to ‘gray market’ playbook

Exports of potentially illicit Russian crude have more than trebled since the start of the Ukraine war, according to shipping data, as Moscow increasingly follows the playbook of sanction evaders Iran and Venezuela to sell its oil under the gaze of Western governments. Tankers carrying Russian-origin crude transferred more than 400,000 b/d to other ships in offshore operations in June,…