Oil Tankers Reroute to Russian Pacific Port Hobbled by Sanctions

By Weilun Soon

Jan 22, 2025 (Bloomberg) –Tankers that used to haul oil from Russia’s western ports are being redeployed to the nation’s east to service a key crude route to China that’s been crippled by sweeping US sanctions.

Part of the reason is likely money. Freight rates to transport ESPO crude from the Russian port of Kozmino to China more than tripled after the US imposed sanctions on tankers that utilized the route. Most ships typically used for the trade are Aframaxes, which have capacity of around 750,000 barrels.

At least two tankers with Hong Kong-listed owners have started plying the route, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. It’s unclear whether the owners behind the com…