The LNG tanker Kunpeng loads cargo at a Russian plant in violation of sanctions

Ship-tracking data showed that a liquefied gas tanker loaded a cargo at Russia's Portovaya?LNG plant, which is under Western sanctions due to Moscow's conflict in Ukraine. According to data provided by analytics firm Kpler, the Kunpeng arrived in Portovaya's LNG terminal on December 18, was unloaded on that day and left with a cargo of natural gas on December 21. LSEG data shows that the tanker arrived and left the terminal at the same dates.

It is the first time that a vessel, Kunpeng, not subject to sanctions, has picked up LNG from a designated LNG project. Kpler data shows that until last year the Kunpeng mostly delivered LNG from Australia and Qatar to South Korea.

The shipping database Equasis lists Reveka Marine Ltd as the registered owner of the tanker and the ship or commercial manager. This company has a registered office in the Marshall Islands.

Washington placed sanctions against two Russian LNG Terminals, including Portovaya at the beginning of this year.

The sanctions have reduced the export volume to a mere?less 2 million metric tonnes per year. Most of the cargo is shipped to Europe and Turkey.

It still shipped five cargoes to Kaliningrad in Russia. In October, one cargo was delivered to a ship in Southeast Asian waters, marking the first known transfer of Russian LNG to a ship. On December 8, another?LNG shipment arrived at China's Beihai terminal via the Valera tanker. This was the first cargo delivered from Portovaya since the sanctions against Portovaya. Since August, the only LNG that Beihai LNG has received from Russia is under sanctions. (Reporting and editing by Emily Chow)

(source: Reuters)