Another sanctioned tanker from Russia’s “shadow fleet” docks at Chinese port – Reuters

According to Ukrinform, this was reported by Reuters, citing LSEG vessel tracking data.

It is noted that the Russian tanker Voskhod is anchored near the LNG terminal in the port of Taishan in the southwestern Chinese province of Huangshi.

The tanker’s arrival took place just days after Russian leader Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

According to LSEG, the Russian-flagged tanker, carrying a cargo of 150,000 cubic meters of LNG, was loaded at the Arctic LNG 2 facility in Gyda in northern Siberia on July 19.

Journalists note that this is already the second shipment delivered to China after the Arctic Mulan tanker, also under sanctions, arrived at the LNG terminal in Beihai at the end of August.

It is emphasized that two more tankers with Russian gas are currently docked on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East, while a third is in the South China Sea between Taiwan and Hainan Island.

Production at Arctic LNG 2 began in December 2023, but gas deliveries have been delayed due to a shortage of ice-class carriers and Western sanctions.

This project, 60% owned by the Russian company Novatek, was intended to become one of the country’s largest LNG plants with a target capacity of 19.8 million tons per year, but Western sanctions undermined these prospects. According to Kpler, last year eight shipments were loaded at Arctic LNG 2 onto several LNG carriers that later came under sanctions, four of which were discharged in the Koryak FSU.

As reported by Ukrinform, the European Union intends to completely halt imports of Russian gas and oil by 2027.

Illustrative photo: Shaah Shahidh on Unsplash