Ships Nonetheless Swap Russian Oil Off Greece Regardless of Navy Drills

Tankers carrying Russian oil are nonetheless conducting cargo switches with different vessels off Greece’s south coast, regardless of Greek navy drills geared toward deterring such actions.

The supertanker Alma is receiving crude from smaller tanker Sagar Violet in a slender channel situated between two areas close to the nation’s Laconian Gulf the place navy drills have taken place since Could, in response to ship-tracking knowledge compiled by Bloomberg. Sagar Violet is loaded with about 730,000 barrels of Russia’s flagship Urals crude.

That gulf was at one level a hotspot for ship-to-ship transfers of Russian oil carried by getting old tankers. The Greek authorities has indicated that the drills — which is able to proceed till November — are designed to cease dangerous transfers of cargo that the world’s delivery watchdog has mentioned pose a menace to maritime security.

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Ship-to-ship transfers of Russian oil are a part of efforts to assist Moscow get its oil to the world within the wake of Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine.

The Greek navy drills have considerably decreased cargo switches, however didn’t eradicate them. Occasional transfers of Russian gas — particularly oil merchandise — have nonetheless taken place exterior the navy zones. 

Earlier in July, the vessel Snow Lotus unloaded Urals onto one other tanker, Narcissus, which then discharged at India later. The cargo switch befell on the similar pathway between the 2 navy zones. 

One other tanker named Arlan carrying Urals has simply arrived close to the Laconian Gulf, and seems prone to switch its cargo onto supertanker Alma.