Canada (SEMA) — Sanctioned Vessels, Guidance & Recent Actions

Canada’s approach to vessels connected to Russia’s war against Ukraine combines classic SEMA blocking-style measures (freezing assets and prohibiting Canadians from dealing in the property of listed persons, which can include ships) with G7/EU oil price-cap enforcement that restricts maritime services (insurance, brokering, financing, shipping, flagging, etc.) when Russian crude or petroleum products are moved above the cap. Canada implements these measures through the Special Economic Measures (Russia) Regulations and participates in the G7 “Price Cap Coalition,” which has issued sector-specific maritime advisories and updates aimed at curbing deceptive shipping practices. Canada’s consolidated sanctions list provides structured data (including records for “Entity or Ship” with IMO numbers) for screening.

Quick history

• 2014–2021: Canada first imposed Russia measures under SEMA in 2014; the regulations use a “dealings prohibition,” effectively an asset freeze, for listed persons/entities.
• Feb–Dec 2022: Following Russia’s full-scale invasion, Canada repeatedly expanded its Russia regulations. In December 2022, Canada aligned with the G7/EU price cap and prohibited key maritime services related to the maritime transport of Russian crude/petroleum above the cap.
• Oct 12, 2023: The G7 Price Cap Coalition Maritime Advisory set due-diligence expectations for insurers, shipowners, charterers, brokers, banks and others; it highlighted red flags such as AIS manipulation, risky STS transfers and opaque ownership. Canada hosted the advisory on its official site.
• Oct 21, 2024: The coalition issued updated guidance focused on deceptive practices by the “shadow fleet,” urging tighter KYC on ownership, insurance and voyage documentation. Canada published the update and continues participating in coordinated enforcement.
• Data & listings: Canada’s Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List (available in XML/CSV) includes structured fields used in industry screening; schema materials reference entries for entities/ships and IMO numbers.

Triggers & patterns Canada targets

• Russian oil above the price cap (or inadequately attested cargoes) and related maritime services provided by coalition-jurisdiction companies.
• Deceptive shipping practices: AIS spoofing/disablement, irregular or high-risk ship-to-ship (STS) transfers, circuitous voyages, and opaque ownership/insurance
• Dealings with listed persons under SEMA Russia Regulations (including ships or owners/operators placed on Canada’s list), which trigger a nationwide dealings prohibition for Canadians.