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EU names sanctioned crude oil and oil product vessels

For the first time the EU is targeting specific vessels part of Russia’s dark fleet created to circumvent the oil price caps. In total the latest measures include designation of eleven crude oil carriers and five oil product tankers.

The EU asserted that, by relying on a dark fleet of aging and often poorly maintained vessels, Russia followed deceptive shipping practices, which ignored international standards.
It added that the vessels sanctioned carried a long list of deficiencies recorded during recent port inspections, including hull damage – impairing seaworthiness – a lack of civil liability for oil pollution damage, and impaired structural integrity in fuel tanks.

The EU further claimed that the oil tankers routinely engaged in ship-to-ship transfer of crude oil in order to evade sanctions. It said that several vessels now sanctioned by the EU lacked certification or planning documents for STS operations, or any plans should there be a spill response.

The average age of the crude carriers listed exceeded 20 years, with some vessels approaching 30 years, the EU said.

The five sanctioned product tankers had a similarly long record of fire safety and pollution prevention violations. Their average age approached 20 years.

List of sanctioned crude oil carriers and product tankers:

  1. 2009-built, Panama-flagged, 64,924 gt crude oil tanker ANDROMEDA STAR (IMO 9402471) owned and managed by Algae Marine Inc of the Seychelles, ISM managed by Margaoo Marine Solutions OPC of Goa, India. As of June 25th in the North Sea en route from Ust-Luga, Russia, to Port Said, Egypt, ETA July 5th.
  2. 2008-built, Gabon-flagged, 64,449 gt crude oil tanker NS Lotus (IMO 9339337), owned by NS Lotus Shipping Inc and managed by Stream Ship management FZCO of Dubai Silicon Oasis. As of June 5th it was in the Baltic Sea en route form Promorsk, Russia, to Port Said, Egypt, ETA July 10th.
  3. 2002-built, possibly Comoros-flagged, 57,979 gt crude oil tanker Hebe (IMO 9259185), owned by Loire Shipping Inc care of Oceanlink Maritime DMCC of Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai. As of June 25th it was in the South China Sea, having left Qingdao, China, on June 26th, for an unknown destination.
  4. 2006-built, Cook islands-flagged, 62,348 gt crude oil tanker Vela Rain (IMO 9331141), owned by Shivshai Marine Ltd care of manager Alqutb Akshamali Marine Services of Deira, Dubai, UAE. As of June 25th it was in the Eastern Mediterranean en route from Nemrut, Turkiye, to Vene Balti, Estonia, ETA July 11th.
  5. 2008-built, Cook Islands-flagged, 62,775 gt crude oil tanker Ocean AMZ (IMO 9394935), owned by Gimbal Marine Ltd care of manager One Moon Marine Services of Al Mararr, Dubai, UAE. As of June 25th it was in the Gulf of Finland en route from Primorsk, Russia, to Tallinn Old City, Estonia, ETA June 21st.
  6. 2007-built, Cook Islands-flagged, 61,348 gt crude oil tanker Galian 2 (IMO 9331153), owned by Anandya Shipping Ltd care of Alqutb Akshamali Marine Services of Deira, Dubai, UAE. As of June 25th it was in the Aegean Sea en route from Nemrut, Turkiye, to Aliaga, Turkiye, ETA June 25th.
  7. 1997-built, Cameroon-flagged, 56,127 gt crude oil tanker Robon (IMO 9144782), owned by Crystal Crest Corp care of manager TechNav Shipmanagement Corp of Almaty, Kazakhstan. As of June 25th it was in the Gulf of Finland at Ust-Luga anchorage, Russia, arrived June 13th.
  8. 2007-built, Russia-flagged, 57,248 gt crude oil tanker Kemerovo (IMO 9312884), owned by Sigma Navigation Corp care of Stream Shuip Management FZCO of Dubai Silicon Oasis. As of June 25th it was at Ust-Luga anchorage (arrived May 12th), its previous port of departure being Vadinar, India (April 4th).
  9. 2003-built, Russia-flagged, 2,395 gt crude oil tanker Krymsk (IMO 9270529), owned by Krymnsk Shipping Inc care of manager Invest Fleet Inc of St Petersburg, Russia. As of June 215th it was at Nakhodka anchorage, eastern Russia, having arrived from Dongyoing, China on March 20th.
  10. Equasis lists the NS Creation (IMO 9312896) as 2007-built, Russia-flagged, 57,248 gt crude oil tanker Krasnyoyarsk, owned by Niva Transport SA care of OOO Invest Flot of St Petersburg, Russia. However, Marine Traffic lists the vessel as Gabon-flagged and named the NS Creation. One of the more shadowy of the shadow fleet at the moment. Whereabouts uncertain. It had been in the Lakonikos Gulf a few months ago, heading to the Black Sea “for orders”.
  11. Equasis and Marine Traffic list the NS Captain (IMO 9341067) as 2006-built, Russia-flagged, 57,248 gt crude oil tanker Kaliningrad, owned by Waterfront Tankers Inc care of OOO Invest Flot of St Petersburg, Russia. NS Captain is listed as an ex-mame. Recent whereabouts uncertain. A few months ago with en route from Tuzla, Turkiye, to Black Sea “for orders”.
  12. 2008-built, Gabon-flagged, 23,353 oil products tanker Hana (IMO 9353113), owned and managed by Elizario Shipping Inc of Cybercity, Ebene, Mauritius. ISM manager is Unic Tanker Gemi Isletmeciligi of Izmir, Turkiye. As of June 25th it was off the Norwegian coast en route from Az Zawiyah, Libya, to Arkhangelsk, Russia, ETA June 27th.
  13. 2005-built, Cook Islands-flagged, 30,053 products tanker Canis Power (IMO 9289520), owned by Chatula Marine Ltd care of Almuhit Alhadi Marine Services of trade Centre 1, Dubai, UAE. As of June 25th it was at Yalova, Turkiye (arrived June 4th).
  14. 2006-built, Gabon-flagged, 27,357 gt products tanker NS Spirit (IMO 9318553), owned by Coral Mist Tanker Ltd care of Fornax Shuip Management of Dubai Silicon Oasis. As of a week or so ago it was in the Black Sea, awaiting orders, aving left Yalova, Turkiye on May 26th.
  15. 2007-built, Gabon-flagged, 29,844 gt product tanker SCF Amur (IMO 9333436), owned by Carrier Tanker Inc care of Fornax Ship Management of IFZA Business Park, DDP, Dubai, UAE. As of June 25th it was heading for Istanbul, Turkiye, ETA May 29th, having left Mrmara Ereglisi on May 5th.
  16. 2004-built, Guinea-Bissau-flagged, 42,432 gt products tanker Beks Aqua (IMO 9277735) is owned by Aqua Maritime & Trading care of manager Tokyo Gemi Isletmeciligi of Istanbul, Turkiye. Marine Traffic calls it the “Marta”. As of June 25th it was recorded at Paranagua anchorage, Brazil (arrived June 14th). It lists Beks Aqua as an ex-name.

The latest round of EU measures also targets maritime assets used to develop Russia’s energy sector.

Two massive 400-meter long floating storage units (FSU), the largest of their kind in the world, have been sanctioned. FSU Saam (IMO 9915090) and Koryak (IMO 9915105) are part of Russia’s logistics scheme to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe and Asia.

  • 2023-built, Russia-flagged, 251,053 Saam FSU is owned by Saam FSU Ltd of Hong Kong, China. It is managed bvy Arctic Transshipment LLC of Murmansk, Russia.
  • 2023-built, Panama-flagged, 251,053 gt Koryak FSU is owned and managed by Arctic Transshipment LLC of Murmansk, Russia.

Russia’s largest LNG producer Novatek positioned the two FSU at each terminus of the Arctic Northern Sea Route, near Murmansk and in Kamchatka, in 2023. Built by South Korean shipyard Hanwha they are designed to hold 360,000 cubic meters of LNG. Without them Novatek will have to increasingly resort to ship-to-ship transfers.

In an effort to further impede construction of new LNG plants in Russia, EU measures also block three heavy lift vessels carrying modules manufactured in Chinese yards.

Two vessels by shipping company Red Box, Audax (IMO 9763837)and Pugnax (IMO 9763849), previously sanctioned by the U.S., are now barred from entering EU ports further limiting their operations.

  • 2016-built, Singapore-flagged, 34,146 gt Audax is owned by Fortune Mc Hercules Shipping care of Red Box Energy Services Ote Ltd of Singapore. As of June 25th it was at Lianyungang anchorage, China, arrived June 23rd.
  • 2016-built, Singapore-flagged, 34,126 gt Pugnax is owned by Fortune Mc Titan Shipping Ltd care of Red Box Energy Services of Singapore. As of June 25th it was at Singapore, (arrived April 23rd from Zeebrugge, Belgium (departed March 12th)).

A Chinese-owned heavy-load carrier, the Hunter Star (IMO 9830769) is also included in the new sanctions. Other Chinese heavy lift vessels continue to carry modules.

  • 2018-built, panama-flagged, 18,401 gt Hunter Star is owned by Guangdong Nan Feng Shipping Co of Fongguan, Guangdong, China. It is managed by CFU Shipping Co of Hong Kong, China. ISM manager is Welton Maritime Zhoushan of Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China. As of June 25th it was at Zhoushan (arrived June 14th), haing left Penglai, China, on January 15th.

An additional six vessels were sanctioned for their role in carrying Russian military equipment and transporting stolen Ukrainian grain.

Source Insurance Marine News, June 26th 2024

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