US sanctions make it difficult for Russia to ship premium oil from Sakhalin

The sanctions imposed by the United States have not stopped Russian oil exports, but they have already led to serious logistical problems in Russia.

Despite the sanctions, crude oil from Sakhalin continues to be loaded onto tankers, but the restrictions have created significant difficulties in its transportation, Bloomberg reports.

In particular, there are currently only ten specialized vessels engaged in the transportation of premium ESPO oil from Russia.

Only two of the nine cargoes sent from oil and gas projects on Sakhalin Island since the sanctions were imposed have been unloaded in the Pacific Ocean. Of the remaining seven, four tankers are idle near the Russian port of Nakhodka, one has been between Japan and South Korea since January 17, and another arrived on Monday at its destination in China. The latter has not yet reached the place where it is also likely to be idle.

If specialized tankers are not released soon, Russian oil exports may begin to suffer. So far, only one of the cargoes has been transferred to another vessel since the sanctions were imposed.

The main ESPO oil grade continues to be transported, as non-sanctioned vessels are being used to replace those targeted by US sanctions last month. Only two of the 27 cargoes loaded between January 10 and February 2 were placed on ships that were subject to Washington’s sanctions. None of them have yet attempted to unload their cargo, with one of them lying idle at the port of Kozmino since loading.

USM previously reported that the sanctioned vessels Sparta and Sparta II are heading back to Russia from Syria.