Sanctioned Russian Oil Vanishes From Tracking in Gulf of Oman

A cargo of Russian oil that’s under heavy US sanctions vanished from global tracking systems, evidence of how difficult it will be to keep track of — and enforce — the measures.

The 900-foot oil tanker Meru left Murmansk in the Arctic Sea on Jan. 20, ten days after the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed most-aggressive sanctions on Russia’s oil trade — especially those from the Arctic.

The Meru was initially destined for the Indian port of Vadinar, according to shipping information seen by Bloomberg — even if the tanker’s digital tracking system showed “Suez” until it ...