A shady transshipment operation is unfolding in the Ura Guba
A brand new LNG carrier that operates as part of Russia's 'shadow fleet' is sailing into the remote fjord in the Kola Peninsula to conduct a transshipment of natural gas to a 400 meter long sanctioned storage tanker.
The Mulan set out on its maiden voyage from the Chinese Jiangnan Shipyard in spring this year. On the 20 December, the 236 meter long carrier sailed into the fjord of Ura Guba on Russia's Barents Sea coast.
In the fjord, it is likely to do a transshipment of LNG to the Saam, the 400 meter long floating storage unit that has been moored in the area for 1,5 years.
It might be the first ever transshipment of LNG in the Ura Guba. The Barents Observer has kept an eye on the Saam since it arrived to the area in June 2023 and has not registered any operations.
The huge 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 September 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 tugboats are in the area as the Mulan approaches. It is 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. Like most of the shadow fleet, the 2 has a muddled ownership structure. The ship was originally owned by Chinese shipping company Jovo, but acquired by the Russian-controlled Nur Global Shipping in Dubai.
Ultimately, it ended up in the hands of India-registered company Plio Energy Cargo Shipping.
In September 2024, the Plio Energy was added the US sanctions list. According to the US Treasury, the company uses "deceptive shipping practices, including shutting off its automatic identification system, to load cargo from the U.S.-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project via a ship-to-ship transfer […]"
Novatek actively seeks to circumnavigate the sanctions. A separate chain of operations, including the shadow fleet, has been established. But also shadow vessels have been targeted by the international community.
In the latest round of EU sanctions announced on the 16th of December, another 59 vessels were targeted. Many of them have operated in Russian far northern waters.
