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German checks aim to increase pressure on Russian shadow fleet
German checks aim to increase pressure on Russian shadow fleet

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

German checks aim to increase pressure on Russian shadow fleet

German authorities are increasingly focusing on tankers in the Baltic Sea with insufficient insurance, which partly serve to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of the war in Ukraine. Since Tuesday, tanker crews have been asked about their insurance coverage against oil pollution damage, according to the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Foreign Office. Affected are ships travelling eastwards from Fehmarn. At the same time as Germany, Sweden is also carrying out checks. "The more complete the picture, the sooner we can take measures up to and including sanctioning the ships together with our partner countries in the Baltic Sea region," German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder explained regarding the approach. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul added, "We are increasing the pressure on the Russian shadow fleet and protecting the Baltic Sea habitat." According to the joint statement, the collected documents will be examined. Any irregularities could lead to Europe-wide monitoring, measures by the flag state, and possibly inclusion on the list of sanctioned ships. The insurance coverage of these ships is often unknown, as they avoid reputable insurers and European ports, according to the information provided. The measure is part of European efforts to push back the Russian shadow fleet and improve maritime safety and marine environmental protection. Oil tankers belonging to the shadow fleet are partly old and sometimes employ unsafe shipping practices. They have been suspected, for example, of damaging undersea cables with their anchors.

Russia Tries Again to Boost LNG Exports Upended by Sanctions
Russia Tries Again to Boost LNG Exports Upended by Sanctions

Yahoo

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Russia Tries Again to Boost LNG Exports Upended by Sanctions

(Bloomberg) -- Russia is taking another crack at expanding exports of liquefied natural gas after US sanctions stalled efforts last year. Philadelphia Transit System Votes to Cut Service by 45%, Hike Fares Squeezed by Crowds, the Roads of Central Park Are Being Reimagined Sprawl Is Still Not the Answer Sao Paulo Pushes Out Favela Residents, Drug Users to Revive Its City Center Mapping the Architectural History of New York's Chinatown An LNG vessel has docked and then left the Arctic LNG 2 export facility for the first time since October, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg and satellite images. The facility was supposed to be a cornerstone of Moscow's goal to triple LNG exports by 2030, but has been idle for months after struggling to find buyers willing to break Western restrictions. Russia has the pieces in place to meaningfully boost LNG exports as it expands its shadow fleet. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian gas pipeline exports to Europe have dwindled, and shipping more fuel via seaborne LNG tankers provides an attractive revenue stream to fill Moscow's coffers. Shadow Fleet At least 13 ships, including those that can navigate icy waters, have been marshaled to potentially service Arctic LNG 2, with some changing management companies several times to help obfuscate the actual owners. According to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg they include: Four ice-class vessels that can navigate the frozen waters around Arctic LNG 2. Three are currently idled in the Barents Sea, while another is the tanker currently docked at Arctic LNG 2 Three more traditional LNG vessels are in the Barents sea Two vessels are under repair in China, with another that appears to be on the way One vessel near a floating storage in Russia's Far East Two vessels are idled in the the Gulf of Finland. They had served another Russian facility called Portovaya, which was sanctioned by the US in January 'Russia does have more vessels at its disposal compared to the summer/fall of 2024,' Malte Humpert, founder of the Arctic Institute, a Washington-based think-tank, said in an email. 'If it can find buyers, this small fleet should be sufficient to lift cargoes.' Eight shipments were exported from Arctic LNG 2 between August and October 2024, but never docked on foreign shores. Instead, the gas was offloaded into two Russian storage units in the Barents Sea and its Far East region. Large-scale production halted in October after ice built up around the facility and made transport by traditional vessels challenging. Russia's first domestically built ice-class LNG tanker may come online in the second half of this year if it passes remaining sea trials, Interfax reported Wednesday, citing Sovcomflot Chief Executive Officer Igor Tonkovidov. Willing Buyers? Now, the market will be closely monitoring whether Arctic LNG 2 can find willing buyers. Exporting more would be a boon for consumers, as it would put pressure on global gas prices. The Biden administration was diligent in sanctioning ships and companies connected with exporting fuel from Arctic LNG 2 last year. It isn't clear if the Trump administration will be as strict, or if the government will slap restrictions on ports that accept the fuel. The threat of retaliation from the US kept buyers at bay last year. Officials related to the Arctic LNG 2 joint venture have never stopped trying to sell the fuel, traveling to potential buyers in India and China over the last year, according to traders with knowledge of the matter. However, it isn't clear if they have been able to secure any sales. 'The biggest obstacle remains finding a buyer and shipping capacity,' Jan-Eric Fahnrich, a senior analyst at Rystad Energy, said by email. 'They will then circle around looking for buyers in Asia and Novatek will offer a discount.' Majority shareholder Novatek PJSC and the operating venture Arctic LNG 2 did not respond to emails seeking comment. Iris, the tanker that recently left Arctic LNG 2, is now heading toward the northern port of Murmansk, according to ship-tracking data. The vessel could be traveling there to offload fuel into a nearby floating storage unit or another vessel in a ship-to-ship transfer. It's not immediately clear if any LNG was loaded on the vessel. The tanker's draft level — which the crew inputs manually — didn't change after leaving the plant, the data shows, signaling it may not have loaded LNG cargo. The Iris is expected to reach Murmansk on July 1, according to the data. 'The fact that more than one million cubic meters of LNG loaded last year remains unsold, and in floating storage, does not bode well for renewed attempts to market additional volumes this summer,' said the Arctic Institute's Humpert. 'China would appear to be the most likely candidate, but with consistently declining Chinese demand for the past eight months this won't be an easy task.' Iris is also a so-called Arc4 vessel, with a reinforced hull that allows it to navigate icy waters. That would allow the ship to take the shorter Arctic route to Asia when conditions allow in the summer. Loading vessels at Arctic LNG 2 could also be necessary to ease brimming gas tanks. Satellite images taken June 25 indicate that two production trains at the facility are flaring, which indicates they could be operating or cooling down equipment. Without steady exports, the plant's storage will quickly fill up, and lack of space was one of the reasons why Arctic LNG 2 stopped large-scale production in October. Meanwhile, traders will wait to see if US or European officials further tighten restrictions on the facility as exports resume. 'Now is the time for increased pressure' on Russia's energy revenues, said Geoffrey Pyatt, distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and a former US assistant secretary of state who helped craft Arctic LNG 2 sanctions under the Biden administration. 'European leaders have expressed new determination to end all imports of Russian gas, making it even more important that the United States maintains our pressure on Novatek.' --With assistance from Anna Shiryaevskaya. (Updates with latest ship-tracking data in the second, 13th and 14th paragraphs.) America's Top Consumer-Sentiment Economist Is Worried How to Steal a House Inside Gap's Last-Ditch, Tariff-Addled Turnaround Push Luxury Counterfeiters Keep Outsmarting the Makers of $10,000 Handbags Apple Test-Drives Big-Screen Movie Strategy With F1 ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Russia Tries Again to Expand LNG Exports Upended by Sanctions
Russia Tries Again to Expand LNG Exports Upended by Sanctions

Yahoo

time3 days ago

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Russia Tries Again to Expand LNG Exports Upended by Sanctions

(Bloomberg) -- Russia is taking another crack at expanding exports of liquefied natural gas after US sanctions stalled efforts last year. Philadelphia Transit System Votes to Cut Service by 45%, Hike Fares US Renters Face Storm of Rising Costs Squeezed by Crowds, the Roads of Central Park Are Being Reimagined Sprawl Is Still Not the Answer Mapping the Architectural History of New York's Chinatown An LNG vessel has docked at the Arctic LNG 2 export facility for the first time since October, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg and satellite images. The facility was supposed to be a cornerstone of Moscow's goal to increase LNG exports threefold by 2030, but has been idle for months after struggling to find buyers willing to break western restrictions. Russia has the pieces in place to meaningfully boost LNG exports as it expands its shadow fleet. Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian gas pipeline exports to Europe have dwindled, and shipping more fuel via seaborne LNG tankers provides an attractive revenue stream to fill Moscow's coffers. Shadow Fleet At least 13 ships, including those that can navigate icy waters, have been marshaled to potentially service Arctic LNG 2, with some changing management companies several times to help obfuscate the actual owners. According to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg they include: Four ice-class vessels that can navigate the frozen waters around Arctic LNG 2. Three are currently idled in the Barents Sea, while another is the tanker currently docked at Arctic LNG 2 Three more traditional LNG vessels are in the Barents sea Two vessels are under repair in China, with another that appears to be on the way One vessel near a floating storage in Russia's Far East Two vessels are idled in the the Gulf of Finland. They had served another Russian facility called Portovaya, which was sanctioned by the US in January 'Russia does have more vessels at its disposal compared to the summer/fall of 2024,' Malte Humpert, founder of the Arctic Institute, a Washington-based think-tank, said in an email. 'If it can find buyers, this small fleet should be sufficient to lift cargoes.' Eight shipments were exported from Arctic LNG 2 between August and October 2024, but never docked on foreign shores. Instead, the gas was offloaded into two Russian storage units in the Barents Sea and its Far East region. Large-scale production halted in October after ice built up around the facility and made transport by traditional vessels challenging. Russia's first domestically built ice-class LNG tanker may come online in the second half of this year if it passes remaining sea trials, Interfax reported Wednesday, citing Sovcomflot Chief Executive Officer Igor Tonkovidov. Willing Buyers? Now, the market will be closely monitoring whether Arctic LNG 2 can find willing buyers. Exporting more would be a boon for consumers, as it would put pressure on global gas prices. The Biden administration was diligent in sanctioning ships and companies connected with exporting fuel from Arctic LNG 2 last year. It isn't clear if the Trump administration will be as strict, or if the government will slap restrictions on ports that accept the fuel. The threat of retaliation from the US kept buyers at bay last year. Officials related to the Arctic LNG 2 joint venture have never stopped trying to sell the fuel, traveling to potential buyers in India and China over the last year, according to traders with knowledge of the matter. However, it isn't clear if they have been able to secure any sales. 'The biggest obstacle remains finding a buyer and shipping capacity,' Jan-Eric Fahnrich, a senior analyst at Rystad Energy, said by email. 'They will then circle around looking for buyers in Asia and Novatek will offer a discount.' Majority shareholder Novatek PJSC and the operating venture Arctic LNG 2 did not respond to emails seeking comment. Iris, the tanker currently docked at Arctic LNG 2, is a so-called Arc4 vessel, with a reinforced hull that allows it to navigate the shorter Arctic route to Asia when conditions allow in the summer. It is likely that the ship will make the journey, as Asia is home to buyers who may be willing to circumvent western restrictions. 'China would appear to be the most likely candidate, but with consistently declining Chinese demand for the past eight months this won't be an easy task,' said the Arctic Institute's Humpert. 'The fact that more than one million cubic meters of LNG loaded last year remains unsold, and in floating storage, does not bode well for renewed attempts to market additional volumes this summer.' Loading vessels at Arctic LNG 2 could also be necessary to ease brimming gas tanks. Satellite images taken June 25 indicate that two production trains at the facility are flaring, which indicates they could be operating or cooling down equipment. Without steady exports, the plant's storage will quickly fill up, and lack of space was one of the reasons why Arctic LNG 2 stopped large-scale production in October. Meanwhile, traders will wait to see if US or European officials further tighten restrictions on the facility as exports resume. 'Now is the time for increased pressure' on Russia's energy revenues, said Geoffrey Pyatt, distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and a former US assistant secretary of state who helped craft Arctic LNG 2 sanctions under the Biden administration. 'European leaders have expressed new determination to end all imports of Russian gas, making it even more important that the United States maintains our pressure on Novatek.' --With assistance from Anna Shiryaevskaya. America's Top Consumer-Sentiment Economist Is Worried How to Steal a House Inside Gap's Last-Ditch, Tariff-Addled Turnaround Push Apple Test-Drives Big-Screen Movie Strategy With F1 Luxury Counterfeiters Keep Outsmarting the Makers of $10,000 Handbags ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Russian naval ship 'disguised' itself while passing through English Channel
Russian naval ship 'disguised' itself while passing through English Channel

BBC News

time25-06-2025

  • BBC News

Russian naval ship 'disguised' itself while passing through English Channel

BBC A Russian warship disguised itself using a fake ID signal while travelling through the English Channel with two sanctioned oil tankers, a BBC Verify investigation has found. The Boikiy - a corvette armed with guided missiles - broadcast the fake ID code as it passed through the Channel on Saturday. On tracking sites it wrongly appeared as ships which have previously used that ID. BBC Verify matched the ID to the Boikiy by using satellite imagery, tracking data and a video of it passing under a bridge in Denmark. It travelled alongside two vessels known to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" - a network of tankers whose ownership can be obscured and are used to transport sanctioned oil products. BBC Verify has approached the Russian embassy in London for comment. But experts told BBC Verify that recent Western moves against the shadow fleet may have prompted Moscow to use its military to protect the tankers. Last month, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew past a shadow fleet vessel and entered Estonian airspace after the country attempted to intercept the ship, which was suspected of carrying sanctioned oil. "The action seems designed to deter the UK and other Nato states from attempting to board and, or, seize these vessels, since the presence of a military escort heightens the risk of confrontation and further escalation," Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses, said. Attention was first drawn to the Boikiy on social media by independent open-source intelligence analyst Christian Panton on Bluesky. The ship is known to have left West Africa in June, where it was taking part in a diplomatic mission. Photos posted online showed the ship docked in Guinea's capital, Conakry. Russian Foreign Ministry The corvette left port without activating its Automatic Identification System (AIS). All ships are expected to broadcast the signal, though military vessels often sail without it. However, a vessel travelling under the generic identification number 400000000 - a code sometimes used by vessels who want to alert others to their presence for safety reasons without identifying themselves - was seen briefly near the Canary Islands. The location is consistent with the time it could have taken the Boikiy to travel the 200km from Conakry. Satellite imagery reviewed by BBC Verify showed a 100m-long ship, matching the dimensions of the Boikiy and distinguishing it from other vessels which had used the ID. Frederik Van Lokeren - an analyst and ex-lieutenant in the Belgian navy - noted that the Boikiy's actions were unusual for a Russian naval vessel. "Normally, if the Russians want to remain hidden in secret, they just turn off their AIS signal," he said. "So for them to be camouflaging as something else… it's very, very uncommon." Russian warship tracked near British waters UK to announce fresh sanctions on Putin's 'shadow fleet' Germany says Russian 'shadow' ship stuck in Baltic Sea The Boikiy was later joined by two oil tankers which had made their way from India through the Suez Canal and across the Mediterranean - the Sierra and the Naxos. Both ships have been sanctioned by the UK. The three vessels all met at the mouth of the Channel on 20 June. Here, the Russian naval vessel appeared again in radar-based and optical satellite images, allowing us to confirm once again that it was a size and shape which matched the Boikiy. The Naxos had reached the entrance to the Channel several days earlier than the other ships, and waited for the warship before proceeding into the channel. A UK defence ministry source confirmed to BBC Verify that the Royal Navy shadowed the Boikiy as it passed through the Channel. Satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify appeared to show a ship tailing the Boikiy as it transited through the waterway, but we cannot confirm that this is the Royal Navy ship. All three vessels proceeded towards the Baltic Sea, where the Boikiy - still travelling under the fake AIS marker - was recorded passing underneath the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark. Webcam footage showed the vessel clearly for the first time as a naval vessel. Its unclear where the vessels are bound for, though all three have continued sailing through the Baltic and may be moving towards ports in mainland Russia or Kaliningrad - an exclave between Poland and Lithuania. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate? Russia suffering 'environmental catastrophe' after oil spill in Kerch Strait Russia's economy is down but not out Royal Navy and RAF shadow Russian ships in UK waters Royal Navy English Channel Russia

Russian naval ship ‘disguised' itself while passing through English Channel
Russian naval ship ‘disguised' itself while passing through English Channel

BBC News

time24-06-2025

  • Politics
  • BBC News

Russian naval ship ‘disguised' itself while passing through English Channel

A Russian warship disguised itself using a fake ID signal while travelling through the English Channel with two sanctioned oil tankers, a BBC Verify investigation has Boikiy - a corvette armed with guided missiles - broadcast the fake ID code as it passed through the Channel on tracking sites it wrongly appeared as ships which have previously used that ID. BBC Verify matched the ID to the Boikiy by using satellite imagery, tracking data and a video of it passing under a bridge in travelled alongside two vessels known to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" - a network of tankers whose ownership can be obscured and are used to transport sanctioned oil products. The Russian embassy in London did not respond to a BBC Verify request for comment. But experts told BBC Verify that recent Western moves against the shadow fleet may have prompted Moscow to use its military to protect the month, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew past a shadow fleet vessel and entered Estonian airspace after the country attempted to intercept the ship, which was suspected of carrying sanctioned oil."The action seems designed to deter the UK and other Nato states from attempting to board and, or, seize these vessels, since the presence of a military escort heightens the risk of confrontation and further escalation," Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses, was first drawn to the Boikiy on social media by independent open-source intelligence analyst Christian Panton on ship is known to have left West Africa in June, where it was taking part in a diplomatic mission. Photos posted online showed the ship docked in Guinea's capital, Conakry. The corvette left port without activating its Automatic Identification System (AIS). All ships are expected to broadcast the signal, though military vessels often sail without a vessel travelling under the generic identification number 400000000 - a code sometimes used by vessels who want to alert others to their presence for safety reasons without identifying themselves - was seen briefly near the Canary location is consistent with the time it could have taken the Boikiy to travel the 200km from Conakry. Satellite imagery reviewed by BBC Verify showed a 100m-long ship, matching the dimensions of the Boikiy and distinguishing it from other vessels which had used the Van Lokeren - an analyst and ex-lieutenant in the Belgian navy - noted that the Boikiy's actions were unusual for a Russian naval vessel."Normally, if the Russians want to remain hidden in secret, they just turn off their AIS signal," he said. "So for them to be camouflaging as something else… it's very, very uncommon."Russian warship tracked near British watersUK to announce fresh sanctions on Putin's 'shadow fleet' Boikiy was later joined by two oil tankers which had made their way from India through the Suez Canal and across the Mediterranean - the Sierra and the Naxos. Both ships have been sanctioned by the UK. The three vessels all met at the mouth of the Channel on 20 June. Here, the Russian naval vessel appeared again in radar-based and optical satellite images, allowing us to confirm once again that it was a size and shape which matched the Naxos had reached the entrance to the Channel several days earlier than the other ships, and waited for the warship before proceeding into the channel.A UK defence ministry source confirmed to BBC Verify that the Royal Navy shadowed the ships as they passed through the images reviewed by BBC Verify appeared to show a ship tailing the Boikiy as it transited through the waterway, but we cannot confirm that this is the Royal Navy ship. All three vessels proceeded towards the Baltic Sea, where the Boikiy - still travelling under the fake AIS marker - was recorded passing underneath the Great Belt Bridge in footage showed the vessel clearly for the first time as a naval vessel. Its unclear where the vessels are bound for, though all three have continued sailing through the Baltic and may be moving towards ports in mainland Russia or Kaliningrad - an exclave between Poland and Lithuania. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?

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