China’s Qingdao Port will impose new restrictions on older and high-risk tankers, a move widely seen as targeting vessels carrying sanctioned oil from Russia, Iran and other sensitive suppliers, Bloomberg reported on September 29.
Starting November 1, tankers over 31 years old, ships with altered International Maritime Organization (IMO) identities, or vessels with invalid certifications will be barred from berthing, according to a notice seen by Bloomberg.
The measures were announced by four operators at Huangdao Port, part of the broader Qingdao hub, which handles roughly one-sixth of China’s crude imports. Ships rejected under the new rules will be barred from the port for one year, while others will be rated on a risk-based scoring system that could also prevent low-scoring vessels from docking.
Qingdao has historically handled about 300,000 barrels per day of Iranian crude, though official data show no imports from Iran since mid-2022. Analysts told Bloomberg that the restrictions will likely have a limited impact on China’s overall imports of sensitive crude, as Qingdao has lost market share in Shandong’s crude trade over recent years.
The move follows US sanctions against a Qingdao-based oil operator in August for importing Iranian crude via a sanctioned vessel, raising concerns about the shadow fleet and the transport of sensitive oil through intermediaries in the region.
Previously, it was reported that a Chinese container vessel has been documented visiting the Russian-occupied port of Sevastopol at least three times over the past month, raising questions about sanctions compliance and maritime oversight.
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