The Shadow Fleet: Sanctioned LNG Tankers Navigate Northern Waters
A sanctioned LNG tanker named “Mulan” has been making waves as it approached Novatek’s SAAM FSU floating storage facility in Murmansk on December 21. Currently sailing around Northern Europe, the vessel is now en route to Port Said in Egypt, with an expected arrival on January 6, 2025, as per LSEG data.
Meanwhile, another LNG tanker, “Pioneer,” has entered the transshipment zone at the Koryak FSU floating storage facility in Kamchatka, according to LSEG data.
Both the “Pioneer” and “Mulan” are part of Russia’s so-called “shadow” fleet, involved in transporting LNG from the sanctioned Arctic LNG-2 project.
Additional sanctioned LNG tankers include East Energy (formerly Asya Energy), Nova Energy (formerly New Energy) near the Russian port of Nakhodka, and La Perouse sailing around Africa with an undisclosed destination.
Furthermore, four more tankers—North Air, North Sky, North Way, North Mountain, and Metagas Everest (formerly Everest Energy)—are currently situated in the Barents Sea as part of Russia’s “shadow” LNG fleet.
(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)