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- US suspects 100 oil tankers may have violated Russian sanctions, Reuters reported.
- Treasury Department sent notices to firms in 30 countries that may have flouted price cap on Russian oil.
- The move marks the biggest step of its kind since price caps were imposed on Russian crude, the report said.
The US Treasury Department asked shipping management companies in 30 countries for information on vessels that may have violated sanctions on Russian oil, sources told Reuters.
Notices sent by the Office of Foreign Assets Control on Friday requested information on 100 oil tankers, representing the biggest step of its kind by the US since Western powers imposed a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian crude, the report said.
"While we do not confirm or comment on investigations or enforcement actions, Treasury is committed to enforcing the price cap and reducing Russia's resources for its war against Ukraine," a Treasury spokesperson told Business Insider.
The price cap applies to seaborne exports of Russian crude oil and is meant to crimp Moscow's ability to finance the war by banning Western companies from providing transportation, insurance, or financing services.
Last month, the US imposed sanctions on two oil tanker owners that carried Russian oil priced above the cap, Reuters reported, the first significant enforcement of the measure.
Despite the price cap, Russian benchmark Urals oil has been trading above $60 a barrel though, as countries like China and India that aren't participating in the sanctions have stepped in to buy Russian cargoes.
Still, the sanctions have forced Russia and its suppliers to resort to a "ghost fleet" of oil tankers hoping to evade sanctions.