Oil tanker in Chesapeake Bay; Novorossiysk, RU to Port of Delaware, US ?

[brachism]

While checking on the status of the grounded Ever Forward cargo ship in the Chesapeake Bay, I noticed this ship, the Iridescent, a crude oil tanker. It is under power at 8.2kn, and apparently originated from Novorossiysk, Russia and is heading to and nearing the port of Delaware.

I was under the impression we banned oil and gas imports from Russia... I don't follow marine traffic much, so maybe I'm miss reading this. Any ideas?

MarineTraffic.com:
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid?712978/zoom?10

Screen capture:
https://imgur.com/a/fmK4guN

[Raine1967]

1. The tanker was stuck in the bay before sanctions were imposed.

I believe it's been there even before Russia attacked.

I hope we seize it after it finally is unstuck.

Also, welcome to DU.

[brachism]

2. I think this is a different ship to the one grounded

I was only aware of the Ever Forward, a roughly 1,000-ft cargo ship being suck. Searching Google news before posting, I didn't see any articles about the Iridescent , a crude oil tanker, or any similar ships being stuck/ground in the bay.

That said, you could be correct or maybe it was enroute before the sanctions took effect. The Iridescent is moving underway using engine, speed/course 8.2kn / 322°, in route to US DCI. Anyway, as someone who lives by the bay, I was just curious.

Thanks for the welcome, and the reply.

[Make7]

3. The ban on 3/8 did not apply to existing contracts, it was for future business.

The departure date is right after the Executive Order banning Russian oil imports. This ship had probably already paid for the oil and had been or was being loaded on the 8th.

The goal of the sanctions is to deprive Russia of income, not to punish non-Russian companies by not letting them offload oil that had already been paid for.
_______

FYI - you can embed Imgur pictures here by using the web address found in their BBCode sharing link (but you don't need the [img] tags).

https://i.imgur.com/83llDeo.png

[brachism]

4. Make sense

Makes sense and thanks for the tip.

[yellowcanine]

5. Delaware does not have a port on the Chesapeake Bay.

There is a port at Wilmington DE which is on the Delaware River but one would have to go out into the Atlantic Ocean to get there from the Chesapeake Bay.

[brachism]

6. Thanks,

Had to check as I’m not a boat person, but you are correct. Access to USDCI (Delaware City Port) from the Atlantic is via the Delaware Bay to the Delaware River. The Iridescent, a 13-year-old Liberia registered ship was in Delaware Bay not the Chesapeake Bay.

Looks like the focus shifted when I zoomed out while searching for the grounded Evergreen Cargo ship the Ever Forward. Also, digging a bit deeper, the Iridescent left Novorossiysk, Russia 2022-01-28, arriving in Trieste, Italy on 2022-02-28. It was in port for 1 day before departing for Delaware.

[PJMcK]

7. You're right about the ports

But can a tanker transit the Chesapeake-Delaware canal at the northern end of both bays? It's part of the Intra-Coastal Waterway which was designed primarily for commercial shipping. Perhaps these ships are too large for the canal.

Interestingly, I read recently that the ICW sees many more recreational vessels than commercial ones.

[yellowcanine]

8. I don't believe cargo ships or tankers go north of Baltimore.

The Bay is very narrow and shallow north of Baltimore. Keeping channels open for big cargo ships is not easy even south of Baltimore. Ships get stuck easily.

[yellowcanine]

9. People forget how shallow the Chesapeake Bay is. It is basically

The mouth of the Susquehanna River, which is very wide and shallow.