Four LNG tankers that recently reflagged to Russia appear to be heading to the Arctic, suggesting they are part of Moscow's efforts to expand exports from projects sanctioned by the US, Bloomberg reports, according to UNN.
Details
The vessels — Kosmos, Luch, Orion, and Merkuriy — are moving north in the Atlantic, with one of them heading toward Murmansk in western Russia, according to tracking data. This port is located near the Saam floating storage unit, which holds exports from the Arctic LNG 2 project, currently under US sanctions.
According to the Equasis shipping database, the tankers changed their flags to Russian in March and April after previously changing ownership. They were formerly owned by Oman Ship Management Co. or its subsidiaries.
The vessels show signs of so-called "shadow fleet" ships: they are older than typical LNG tankers still in operation and were recently transferred to little-known companies through opaque intermediaries, the publication writes.
According to an analysis of tracking data conducted by Bloomberg, at least sixteen tankers have transported LNG from sanctioned Russian facilities. One of them was attacked in March and has been taken out of service.
According to Equasis, in February, the tankers Kosmos and Luch were acquired by the Hong Kong-based company Mighty Ocean Shipping Ltd., while the vessels Orion and Merkuriy were acquired by Celtic Maritime & Trading SA.
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