MULAN

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Russia's LNG tankers with problems to find buyers for their cargoes

The 'Nova Energy', which appeared to be heading to one of the Russia's floating storage unit Koryak FSU to discharge its cargo, and had left Nakhodka Bay where it had been idling for weeks, initially heading to the FSU off Kamchatka, has since turned back south. It was estimated that the 'Nova Energy' was about 70% loaded. Actually it is anchored in pos. 42° 45' N 132° 56' E. The Koryak FSU has also taken on cargoes from the 'Pioneer', which is anchored in pos. 42° 45' N 132° 55' E in the Sea of Japan, and the 'Metagas Everest' recently, and may now be holding 250,000-cbm of LNG. The 'Pioneer', the 'Nova Energy' and the 'East Energy' have been idling off Russia’s Far East coast for months, laden with LNG from Novatek’s US-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 liquefaction plant. The sanctioned ships have not been able to offload their shipments to buyers. The 'Nova Energy' and 'East Energy' transported their cargoes through the Northern Sea Route, and the 'Pioneer' transited the Suez Canal southbound. The 'Mulan' has left the North Sea in ballast at the start of Jan 2025, and initally headed northwards into the Atlantic before turning south, now with an ETA at Port Said as of Jan 16. The 'Metagas Energy', which loaded a cargo at Arctic LNG 2 in Oct 2024, and had been idling to the north of Russia, has followed the 'Mulan' into the Atlantic. The 'North Air', 'North Mountain', 'North Sky' and 'North Way' have been drifting in the Barents Sea, before the 'North Air' has started moving west, but is actually NUC in the Barents Sea.

LNG tanker from Russia is probably trying to avoid sanctions

The 'Mulan', which is probably transporting gas from Russia has been sailing directionlessly back and forth south of Norway. on the tenth day. Before the ship arrived in the area, it was probably loading liquid natural gas from Russia. Since Dec 26, 2024, it has not left the North Sea and the Skagerrak Strait. Experts believed that the sanctions may be the reason for the ship's strange movements. On the afternoon of Jan 1, 2025, the ship broke the pattern and is heading northwest. The ship came from Ura Bay on the Kola Peninsula, where it had rendezvoused with a ship that came from a large new terminal Russia has built on the Siberian coast, where gas is liquefied and shipped by ship. Russia is being attacked with sanctions against this export, due to their invasion of Ukraine. The ship is also on a sanctions list and remained outside Norway's border, in international waters. There are also submarine cables in the large area the ship has covered, but there is no information that the ship has had anything to do with them. The ship's captain initially explained that he was waiting for better weather. Since then, according to satellite data, the ship has been zigzagging above the undersea pipelines and cables connecting Norway, the United Kingdom, and Denmark. On Jan 4, 2025,, it was once again near Stavanger.The Norwegian Coastal Administration sees the ship as part of the shadow fleet that Russia uses to circumvent sanctions. The crew of the 'Mulan' has informed the Norwegian Coastal Administration that they were waiting for better weather before heading towards the Suez Canal. But the weather in the North Sea – and further along the expected route of the ship – has been normal, according to the Meteorological Institute. A low pressure has been moving north through the sea recently. The weather has alternated between short periods of stiff and strong gales and periods of fresh breeze and lighter weather. Further south, through the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay, there has also been weather that is considered normal. The ship's movements are probably related to the sanctions against Russia, as gas tankers from Russia are having problems finding ports to unload. Since autumn 2024, Russia has shipped gas from the new terminal, but the US and the EU have responded by placing ships and shipping companies on their blacklists at the slightest hint of a connection with the new terminal Fve more similar tankers are sailing back and forth in the Barents Sea. One of them, the 'Cristophe de Margerie', was placed on the EU sanctions list as recently as December 2024.

Shadow tanker moved to sanctioned storage unit for transshipment

The 'Muln' that operates as part of Russia's 'shadow fleet' sailed into the remote fjord in the Kola Peninsula on Dec 20 to conduct a transshipment of natural gas to a 400 meter long sanctioned storage tanker. The LNG tanker was likely to do a transshipment of LNG to the FSPO 'Saam', that has been moored in the area for 1,5 years. It might be the first ever transshipment of LNG in the Ura Guba. Since the 'Saam' arrived to the area in June 2023, it has not carried out any operations. The storage vessel has been left idle in the waters that normally are sealed off for everyone, except the Russian Navy and a few local fishermen. The 'Saam' was put on the sanction list of the US treasury in Sep. 2023. A couple of months later, the entire Arctic LNG 2 project was subjected to sanctions .The restrictive measures have paralysed Novatek's Arctic operations and it long seemed that the facilities built for the Arctic LNG 2, including the Saam, would be left rusting and abandoned in the remote north. However, for the crew onboard the 'Saam', more than 18 months of waiting time could soon be over. At least six tugs were in the area as the 'Mulan' approached. The ship was likely to carry LNG from the port of Utrenny in the Gydan Peninsula. The new tanker is part of the so-called shadow fleet that serves Russia's sanctions-ridden oil and gas industry.