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Tanker receiving LNG from sanctioned vessel

The sanctioned LNG tanker 'Pioneer' appeared to be transferring its Russian cargo to another ship in the Mediterranean Sea, a sign of the lengths to which Moscow is going to circumvent US actions. The tanker was sanctioned by the US on Aug 23, 2024, and was anchored next to another vessel about 19 nautical miles northeast of Port Said. That was s an indication that it’s executing an open water ship-to-ship transfer, which is rare for natural gas. The recipient vessel is the 'New Energy', which isn’t subject to restrictions. The cargo is the first to load from Arctic LNG 2, Russia’s newest gas export plant, which was sanctioned by the US in 2023r. In response to the US actions, Moscow is developing a shadow fleet of LNG tankers in a similar way it did for transporting crude oil and products. The US upped the ante last week by imposing restrictions on seven LNG carriers linked to Russia, including the 'Pioneer' and Ocean Speedstar Solutions, the India-based manager of the ship. The New Energy has been managed by Plio Energy Cargo Shipping since June and was previously suspected to be part of the shadow fleet due to its opaque ownership. The India-based Plio Energy was incorporated on June 20. Once the transfer is finished, the 'New Energy' may head through the Suez Canal to Asia, where there could be willing buyers of the Russian gas. It’s common practice for vessels carrying sanctioned energy to hide their location by switching off or manipulating their AIS. The 'Everest Energy', another vessel sanctioned by the US on Aug 23, was moving away from the Arctic LNG 2 facility, indicating that the vessel picked up a shipment. The ship was faking its location in the Barents Sea until Aug 26. Report with photo: https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/tanker-carrying-sanctioned-russian-lng-attempting-ship-transfer