Freight rates for Russian ESPO Blend oil loading from the Far Eastern port of Kozmino have jumped fivefold amid a lack of vessels after fresh U.S. sanctions cut availability of tankers, three traders said and data showed.

A decline in shipments in the seven days to Jan. 19 kept four-week flows below 3 million barrels a day for a fourth week

At least 65 oil tankers have dropped anchor at multiple locations, including off the coasts of China and Russia, since the United States announced a new sanctions package on Jan. 10, ship tracking data showed on Monday.

Tankers that once transported oil from Russia's western ports are now being redirected to the eastern part of the country to support the key oil supply route to China, which has been impacted by extensive US sanctions.

Ship-tracking data shows that Russia’s four-week average of crude exports has remained below 3 million barrels per day for the fourth consecutive week, nearing a recent 16-month low. “Since the latest sanctions were announced,

Six Russian oil tankers still under construction by Russia's Zvezda shipyard were included in U.S. sanctions imposed last week, the first time Washington is known to have banned tankers before they even set sail,