The liquefied natural gas tanker "Mercury," which recently switched to the Russian flag, is likely loading fuel from the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project. This was reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.
Details
According to the Kpler service, the vessel moored near the Saam floating storage unit near Murmansk, which is used to store LNG from the U.S.-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project.
The tanker was previously managed by Oman Ship Management Co., but was later transferred to the little-known company Celtic Maritime & Trading SA through opaque intermediaries.
Russia expands "shadow" fleet to bypass sanctions
Bloomberg notes that Russia is trying to increase LNG exports to Asia amid high demand and supply problems due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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According to the agency, Moscow is offering gas at deep discounts to spot prices to attract buyers.
The "Mercury" has the characteristic features of so-called "shadow" fleet vessels: the tanker is older than most LNG vessels in the world, and its new owner is virtually unknown in the market.
Also, according to vessel tracking data, three more former Omani LNG tankers that changed their flag to Russian are already en route to or have arrived in the Arctic. They may also be involved in transporting fuel from projects under U.S. sanctions.