Another VLCC leaves Med for S Africa with Russian crude

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.

The Elandra Denali, which is is now offshore western Morocco, loaded around 2.1mn bl, split 2:1 between Baltic-loaded Urals and Siberian Light, according to Argus tracking and shipping records, through a trio of ship-to-ship transfers in the Alboran Sea, the last one from Suezmax Lipari yesterday. The Lipari had loaded Siberian Light at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on 13 April.

The Elandra Denali is signalling for Saldanha Bay, South Africa, the same destination as VLCC Searacer that recently loaded around 2.1mn bl of Russian crude in the western Mediterranean. The latter is now offshore Namibia and slated to arrive at Saldanha Bay on 30 April.

Saldanha Bay has 9.9mn bl of oil storage 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.

A third VLCC, Elandra Everest, is performing a ship-to-ship transfer with Aframax Monterey in the Alboran Sea. The Monterey 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 Elandra Everest recently completed a ship-to-ship transfer with Aframax Saetta, 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 Elandra Everest.

It is unclear who has chartered these VLCCs. The Elandra Denali and Elandra Everest 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.

By Adam Porter