A tanker carrying the first shipment of Azerbaijani crude oil has arrived in Japan, marking a new step in Tokyo’s efforts to diversify energy supplies amid heightened instability in the Middle East and disruptions in traditional shipping routes.

The oil tanker named *The Grinch* has left French waters after the company that owns the vessel paid a penalty of "several million euros."

Moscow has called on Washington to adhere to the rule of law and immediately halt what it described as illegal actions against the oil tanker Marinera, according to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Russia is continuing its Black Sea clean-up operation in the Kerch Strait following last December’s oil spill caused by two storm-stricken Russian tankers, according to Russian authorities.

Three tankers carrying over two million barrels of Russian oil are currently idling off eastern China, following US sanctions imposed last Friday, according to ship-tracking data.

On Thursday, the EU threatened additional sanctions against Russian vessels after Finland announced it was investigating an oil tanker that sailed from a Russian port in connection with the "sabotage" of a power cable between Finland and Estonia, News.az reports citing Kyiv Post.

Oil has washed up along "tens of kilometres" of the Russian Black Sea coast after two tankers were severely damaged in a storm over the weekend, according to a local governor.

The UK government has today announced the largest package of new sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet of oil tankers.

By Asif Aydinli