Tanker below US sanctions discharges oil at Chinese language port, LSEG information exhibits

By Siyi Liu

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A tanker topic to the brand new U.S. sanctions is discharging Russian oil at a port operated by Shandong Port Group in east China, delivery information on LSEG Eikon confirmed on Thursday.

The tanker is the primary since final week’s sanctions announcement to discharge in Shandong province the place lots of China’s unbiased refineries which have been massive importers of Russian crude are primarily based.

It will likely be monitored intently by these within the business anxious to know the way strictly the measures shall be applied.

The sanctions embody a grace interval exempting cargoes loaded earlier than Jan. 10 and unloaded earlier than March 12, merchants mentioned, however the business nonetheless halted some shipments as they assessed their dangers.

Shandong Port Group was not obtainable for remark after regular workplace hours.

The Panama-flagged crude oil tanker Mermar docked on Wednesday at Longkou port within the metropolis of Yantai. It had floated since Saturday, the LSEG information confirmed.

The information additionally confirmed the Aframax-sized tanker carried 80,000 metric tons of (600,000 barrels) Russian ESPO Mix crude that was loaded on Jan. 6 from Kozmino port on Russia’s east coast.

The Mermar was amongst 183 ships designated by the Biden administration on Friday in an announcement that disrupted provide from the world’s No. 2 producer to China and India and diminished ship availability.

The U.S. Workplace of Overseas Property Management mentioned the Mermar had made a port name in a Russian port the place oil has persistently traded properly above a $60 value cap imposed by the West to attempt to curb Russia’s oil revenues.

The tanker is taken into account a part of Russia’s shadow fleet that it has used till now to skirt sanctions. Its registered proprietor Merluza Group has additionally been positioned below restrictions by the brand new measures.

Previous to the U.S. sanctions announcement, Shandong Port Group had banned U.S.-sanctioned tankers from calling into its ports within the jap Chinese language province.