Disappeared from radar for a month: Chinese tanker transporting Russian oil from the port of Ust-Luga
14.04.2025 - 09:15
The sanctioned tanker Leona (IMO: 9299721) is transporting 100 thousand tons of Russian oil to China.
This was reported by the head of the Monitoring Group of the Institute for Black Sea Strategic Studies, Andrey Klymenko.
Thus, the Chinese tanker Leona with a deadweight of 106,004 tons left the port of Ust-Luga on February 24.
The vessel, which is under sanctions by the UK, the US and Canada, indicated the port of destination as “for order”. From March 4 to 9, the tanker stopped and drifted in anticipation to the west of the French port of Brest in front of the Bay of Biscay.
“The tanker went further and on March 10 “disappeared from the radar”. And after that, that is, for 34 days, it is nowhere to be found. Most likely, it is transporting its 100 thousand tons of Russian oil to China. And not through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, but around Africa. And now it should be somewhere in the Indian Ocean,” Andriy Klymenko reported.
The War&Sanctions portal indicates that the shipowner is the Chinese company Demeter Ble Ltd. The commercial manager of the vessel is the Chinese Munne Co Ltd.Earlier, USM reported that last year the number of tankers from the Russian Federation choosing the route around Africa increased.
