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Convoy of sanctioned Russian tankers on one of the most northerly commercial shipping routes ever attempted in the Arctic
Russia has dispatched an unprecedented convoy of sanctioned oil tankers to within 500 nautical miles of the North Pole, sending the fleet onto one of the most northerly commercial shipping routes ever attempted in the Arctic, including the 'Dinasty', 'Viktor Bakaev', 'Vostochny Prospect', 'Liteyny Prospect', 'Jagger' and 'Ligovsky Prospect'. The fleet had assembled in the Kara Sea over the past several weeks. Satellite images caught part of the fleet heading northwards on Aug 5, 2026. The fleet was transporting crude oil from Arctic export terminals toward Asian buyers as Russia continued to make growing use of the Northern Sea Route during the summer navigation season to shorten voyages and reduce reliance on contested global shipping hotspots such as the Black Sea. Russia has steadily expanded eastbound Arctic crude exports in recent years as it redirects energy shipments towards Asia following sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine. At the fleet’s current position, only four vessels were operating farther north, the Swedish icebreaker 'Oden', China’s polar icebreaker 'Xue Long', Norway’s research icebreaker 'Kronprins Haakon', and the ice-class expedition vessel 'Virgo'. The routing places Russia’s Arctic oil fleet among the northernmost commercial vessels ever recorded. The route passes north of 81 degrees north, roughly 10 degrees farther north than Utqiagvik, Alaska, which sits at about 71 degrees north latitude. The unusually northerly routing reflected the uneven sea ice conditions. While ice concentrations north of Severnaya Zemlya and across much of the Laptev Sea have already opened up, more difficult ice has persisted in the Vilkitsky Strait, prompting authorities to direct commercial traffic around the northern side of the archipelago instead. Farther east, however, the voyage remained challenging. Significant sea ice continued to cover parts of the East Siberian Sea. Three Russian nuclear icebreakers were currently deployed to escort commercial shipping along the Northern Sea Route. The difficulties became apparent, when the tanker 'Aria' reversed course in the East Siberian Sea on July 31, possibly prompted by heavy ice conditions ahead.
US sanctions three Sovcomflot tankers
The USA for the second time in a month is going after the oil tankers involved in the Russian oil trade as reports persisted of repeated violations of the price cap improved by the G7 and Western nations. The action included sanctions on three tankers, the ÄLigovsky Prospect', 'Kazan' (IMO: 9258002) and 'NS Century' (IMO: 9306782), but stopped short of naming Sovcomfot directly, again underscores the Treasury Department and Biden Administration’s commitment, alongside its international partners, to reducing oil revenues that the Russian government can use to bankroll the war in Ukraine. The action came just days after a report that Russia was routinely exceeding the price cap. Reports surfaced that the EU was considering having Denmark act as an enforcer checking the documentation of tankers. Denmark administers key sea lanes that are the passageway from the Baltic which accounts for as much as 60 % of Russia’s oil exports. In the latest efforts, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is imposing sanctions on three entities and identifying as blocked property the three crude oil tankers that used Price Cap Coalition service providers while carrying Russian crude oil above the coalition-agreed price cap. The targeted vessels were part of the fleet of ships Sovcomflot moved into the management of companies based in the UAE in response to the growing sanction. All the tankers are registered in Liberia and were currently in Asia, with two of them showing from their AIS that they were in Chinese ports, the 'Ligovsky Prospect' in 'Zhoushan' and the 'Kazan' at the Long Xue Shipyard, with the 'NS Century' in Vadinar. U.S. officials alleged that the vessels engaged in the export of Russian crude oil priced above $60 per barrel after the crude oil price cap took effect. They said the tankers had each used U.S.-person services while transporting the Russian-origin crude oil. As with the effort in Oct 2023, the U.S. however stopped short of directly naming Russia and Sovcomflot. They designated Kazan Shipping, Progress Shipping, and Gallion Navigation, each based in the UAE operating or having operated in the marine sector of the Russian Federation economy. The U.S. imposed the first sanctions on two tankers in mid-October as it sought to increase pressure on the price cap while the G7 also issued a statement warning the shipping industry on the tactics used for price evasion. With the price of oil however hovering around $25 above the cap Russia has been easily evading the cap. Reuters however cited data from the International Energy Agency showing a small decline of nearly 70,000 barrels per day in Russian exports. The U.S. would take further unspecified action in the coming weeks and months to increase Russia's costs. Oil remains one of the main targets in the efforts to reduce Russia’s export income.
New trip charter
80.000 t dirty, WC Norway - U.K./continental, WS 92.5, September 12, Statoil
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