Russian oil is getting transferred in the high seas for the first time as wary buyers try to avoid
affiliation with Moscow
In May, a ship-to-ship transfer of Russian oil happened in the high seas of the Atlantic an unusual distance from typical sheltered waters where risks of oil spills are lower, according to Bloomberg.
Russian crude sellers are more often leaning into alternative methods to get products to buyers as war in Ukraine rages on. Wary buyers have attempted to avoid affiliation with the sanctioned nation through obfuscating the origins of crude and trading oil marked "destination unknown."
Between May 26 and May 27, per Bloomberg, the supertanker Lauren II took cargo from the Aframax tanker Zhen I in the middle of the ocean, about 300 miles west of Madeira.
The move marked the first Russian crude transfer on the high seas, and the Lauren II is now drifting in the mid-Atlantic potentially awaiting another cargo transfer.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/russian-oil-is-getting-transferred-in-the-high-seas-for-the-first-time-as-wary-buyers-try-to-avoid-affiliation-with-moscow/ar-AAY8tm8