Western governments are attempting to counter the phenomenon by blacklisting ships. The European Union has added more than 500 vessels to its sanctions list, while the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia have introduced their own measures. Yet Russia continues to replenish its fleet. David O’Sullivan, the EU sanctions envoy, likened the effort to “Whac-A-Mole”, telling the New York Times: “Circumvention is a bit like that.”