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A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker that has been sanctioned appears to be involved in a cargo transfer in the Mediterranean Sea, indicating Russian attempts to navigate around U.S. sanctions.
Recent satellite imagery reveals that the tanker, known as the Pioneer, is anchored alongside another vessel approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) northeast of Egypt’s Port Said. This setup suggests that a ship-to-ship transfer is taking place, a method that is not commonly used for natural gas shipments. The receiving vessel, identified as New Energy, is not under any sanctions.
This operation marks the initial shipment from Arctic LNG 2, which is Russia’s latest gas export facility and had previously been targeted by U.S. sanctions last year. In retaliation to the U.S. measures, Russia is reportedly building a covert fleet of LNG tankers, similar to its approach for crude oil and petroleum product transport.
Last week, the U.S. escalated its efforts against Russian shipping by imposing restrictions on several LNG carriers, including the Pioneer and the Ocean Speedstar Solutions, which operates the vessel.
Since June, New Energy has been managed by Plio Energy Cargo Shipping, as noted in the Equasis shipping database. The vessel’s previous ownership structure raised suspicions of its involvement in the shadow fleet due to its lack of transparency. Notably, Plio Energy was only incorporated on June 20, according to records from India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
No comments have been received from Plio Energy regarding this situation.
Following the completion of the cargo transfer, New Energy may navigate through the Suez Canal towards Asia, where demand for Russian natural gas may exist. It is a standard practice for vessels carrying sanctioned energy cargos to obscure their positions by disabling or manipulating their automatic identification systems.
Source
finance.yahoo.com