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Russia's shadow fleet, the network of aging tankers it has used to export oil while evading Western sanctions, is the mechanism at the center of sweeping legislation that reached President Trump's desk Thursday.
The House passed the bill 262-159, authorizing Trump to impose secondary tariffs of up to 100% on buyers of Russian oil and gas and naming the fleet as a direct enforcement target.
The secondary tariff authority falls on the buyer side of Russia's energy trade. The shadow fleet provision targets the transport network those buyers have relied on to complete purchases despite existing restrictions.
The bill's stated aim is to significantly expand economic pressure on Russia through both tools. The fault lines in a 262-159 vote The tariff authority provision generated the bill's sharpest friction.
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