Tankers with unknown flags help Russia navigate post-sanctions shipments to China and India

A UK-SANCTIONED tanker with an unknown flag and insurance twice called at Chinese ports since January 20 to discharge Russian crude loaded from Kozmino, signalling the level of maritime regulatory oversight now being exercised in both countries to keep trade flowing.

The International Maritime Organization database has suezmax tanker Lahar (IMO: 9321691) showing an unknown flag since January 1, after leaving the Djibouti registry.

The dark fleet tanker, formerly known as Sai Baba, was sanctioned by the UK government on December 17, and changed its name on January 12, according to shipping databases.

Lahar’s continued trading despite flag registry opacity is just one example of how EU and UK-sanctioned tonnage kept shipping Russian oil over January, as fresh tankers were sought to replace those sidelined by the US designation of 160 ships on January 10.

Last month 21% of all oil was shipped on 45 Western-sanctioned tankers, according to figures compiled from Lloyd’s List Intelligence and Vortexa data, tracking ships calling at Russian ports that month. Of the 45 tankers, 13 were US-sanctioned and loaded after January 10.

One US-sanctioned tanker, Yuri Senkevich (IMO: 9301419), was tracked discharging its cargo at a Chinese port after loading post- January 10.

The Panama-flagged aframax tanker called to take on 720,000 barrels of Sokol grade crude at the eastern port of De Kastri on January 25, and discharged at Shanghai’s Yangshan Shengang International Petroleum Terminal on January 30, Vortexa data shows.

The International Energy Agency said US designations typically reduce trading activities by 90%.

Of the 45 tankers, the flag was not known for 10, data shows.

In most cases, the tankers are still broadcasting via AIS the flags of their previous registries, but under new names, analysis shows.

Suezmax tanker LI Bai (IMO: 9589750), for example, was sanctioned on January 10 by the Office of Foreign Asset Control. The ship is still showing Panama as its flag registry on the Lloyd’s List Intelligence database, while the IMO shows it left the registry in January.

The tanker loaded a cargo from Kozmino on January 17, Vortexa data show and is now sailing in the Sea of Japan signalling the Suez Canal.

It was not clear whether the tanker’s cargo was transferred to another tanker for onward voyage to China because AIS was switched off for intermittent periods.

January loadings also highlighted differences in the treatment of EU and UK-sanctioned tonnage versus US sanctioned ships. EU and UK sanctioned tankers continued to trade without obvious interruption, vessel tracking showed.

Of the 18 UK or EU-sanctioned tonnage tracked loading over January, five have discharged at a Chinese port and five at India’s Jamnagar refinery. The remaining eight tankers have cargoes still on the water.

Some 163m barrels of Russia-origin oil was shipped from Russian ports over January, with 54% loaded on tankers that form part of the dark fleet, 13% on Russia-owned tankers, and 21% on Greece-owned ships, Vortexa data shows.

Greece-owned tankers mostly shipped diesel, which has priced below the $100 per barrel price cap for more than 13 months, or Urals crude, in what are assumed to be price-cap compliant trades.

Since January 10, sanctioned tankers or those from the dark fleet are more frequently switching off their AIS for periods of time, to help obfuscate the destination and origin of cargoes.

That has amplified opacity amid increased logistics complexity. Russia has begun to transfer cargoes from US-sanctioned tankers to ‘clean’ ships better able to call at ports in China, India and Türkiye, the biggest buyers.

A new zone for ship-to-ship transfers of Far Eastern crude was established in open waters around Nadhokta and Kozmino region, Vortexa reported, serviced by non- sanctioned tanker Daban (IMO: 9294331).

One US-sanctioned tanker, Vladimir Arsenyev (IMO: 9901025), had already transferred its cargo to the very large crude carrier, and another two were awaiting transfer, said Vortexa analyst Xavier Tang.

The VLCC would then sail for buyers in Shandong province, he said. The port group in Shandong, which serves independent refiners, said earlier in January it would no longer accept US-sanctioned tonnage.

Analysis of Russia-calling tankers by country of beneficial ownership showed that dark fleet tankers comprised 54% by deadweight tonnes, down from last month’s record 60%.

Greece-owned tankers comprised 25% by dwt, up from 20% last month, reflecting increased numbers of tankers shipping Urals crude, which is close to the $60 per barrel crude price cap.

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Lloyd's List Daily Briefing 13 February 2025