<article><p class="lead">A second very large crude carrier (VLCC) has loaded Russian crude in the western Mediterranean and is heading to South Africa. A third is now loading via ship-to-ship transfer.</p><p>The <i>Elandra Denali</i>, which is is now offshore western Morocco, loaded around 2.1mn bl, split 2:1 between Baltic-loaded Urals and Siberian Light, according to <i>Argus</i> tracking and shipping records, through a trio of ship-to-ship transfers in the Alboran Sea, the last one from Suezmax <i>Lipari</i> yesterday. The <i>Lipari</i> had loaded Siberian Light at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on 13 April.</p><p>The <i>Elandra Denali </i>is signalling for Saldanha Bay, South Africa, the same destination as VLCC <i>Searacer </i>that recently loaded around 2.1mn bl of <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2323136">Russian crude in the western Mediterranean</a>. The latter is now offshore Namibia and slated to arrive at Saldanha Bay on 30 April.</p><p>Saldanha Bay has 9.9mn bl <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2149802">of oil storage</a> and works are underway to add three tanks to increase this to 13mn bl. The deepwater bay, on South Africa's western coast, also acts as a stopover p oint for long-haul tankers.</p><p>A third VLCC, <i>Elandra Everest</i>, is performing a ship-to-ship transfer with Aframax <i>Monterey</i> in the Alboran Sea. The <i>Monterey</i> has around 750,000 bl of Urals on board, which it loaded at Ust-Luga on 9 April, and had been signalling its destination as Corinth, Greece. The <i>Elandra Everest</i> recently completed a ship-to-ship transfer with Aframax <i>Saetta</i>, which had been signalling St Lucia in the Caribbean. The 550,000 bl of Urals it loaded on 13 April at Novorossiysk have now transferred to the <i>Elandra Everest</i>.</p><p>It is unclear who has chartered these VLCCs. The <i>Elandra Denali</i> and <i>Elandra Everest</i> are operated by Latvia-based shipping firm LSC, a vessel management unit of trading firm Vitol, which declined to comment when asked if it is chartering the tankers.</p><p class="bylines">By Adam Porter</p></article>