Russian oil from sanctioned tankers ends up in China

A ship carrying Russian crude transferred from three smaller tankers that are under US sanctions unloaded last week at a Chinese port, ship tracking data shows, ending an unusual month-long voyage highlighting the efforts of producers and traders to keep Moscow's oil flowing despite tightened curbs.

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The Panama-flagged Daban, one of dozens of non-sanctioned vessels drawn to the Russian oil trade by fat margins following the Jan 10 US sanctions, was received at a berth run by the privately-controlled Qingdao Haiye Group at the port of Qingdao, two people familiar with the matter said.

Kpler and LSEG data showed the Daban, a very large crude carrier carrying two million barrels of Russian Sokol oil, discharging into Qingdao on March 13, ending a voyage from Russia's Far East that would ordinarily take about a week.

The Daban transferred oil from Aframax-sized tankers Vladimir Arsenyev on Feb 3, Captain Kostichev on Feb 9 and Victor Konetsky on Feb 10 at Nakhoda Bay in Russian territorial waters, according to tanker tracker Kpler.