War-war, money-money.

Chinese VLCC heading to Asia after loading Russian oil

Lauren II (298,600-dwt) is headed to Asia with 2 million barrels of crude oil. The tanker comes from Ceuta, Spain, where there have been three shipments of Russian crude Urals by the STS (ship-to-ship) method over the past three weeks. It showed a new pattern of trade after the European ban.

Loading of the Lauren II in December and January took place without the AIS shutdown, demonstrating the normalization of trade. Last year, similar cargo operations were carried out near the Azores. Now - off the coast of Ceuta and Greece. The reason is called weather conditions.

According to analyst Kpler, Lauren II is expected to arrive at its destination in Asia in mid-February. He also speculated that several aframaxs loaded in Russian ports were heading to the same area of Spain for STS loading with Chinese-owned tankers already waiting in the area for weeks. Such transportation organization seems to be the most effective. Aframax can return to Russian ports, while VLCCs make the most economic sense for long-haul flights to China.

The Lauren II is one of four tankers operated by companies in the port city of Dalian. The others are Progress V (314,000-dwt), Natalina 7 (299,000-dwt) and Monica S (305,000-dwt).

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