Ambrey: Tanker at Ust-Luga May Have Been Hit With Limpet Mines
Russian salvors and officials inspect the damaged tanker Koala at Ust-Luga Published Feb 12, 2025 8:28 PM by The Maritime Executive
According to maritime security consultancy Ambrey Intelligence, the tanker that suffered three blasts in its engine room at the port of Ust-Luga last weekend was likely hit by limpet mines - and it was probably not the only one to have sustained similar damage.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, the Suezmax tanker Koala suffered a series of three explosions in or near the engine room. The 24 crewmembers abandoned ship onto the pier, and the vessel's stern settled until it made contact with the bottom, Morspas said. No leaks of oil have been reported, and the cargo tanks are all believed to be intact.
Ambrey reports that the blast holes in Koala's hull are substantial, measuring up to 12 feet by six feet. The damage "strongly suggests that the explosions were caused by limpet mines," the consultancy said in a statement.
Ambrey added that other vessels with "a similar trading profile" have also been damaged by explosions - a previously unreported detail of the challenges facing Russia's "shadow fleet" of sanctions-skirting tankers.
Koala is a 22-year-old Suezmax tanker owned by a Turkish firm and managed by a company in Cyprus. At the time of the casualty, she was in Ust-Luga loading a cargo of mazut - a Russian grade of heavy fuel oil, which is not covered by the G7's calibrated sanctions on Russian energy exports.
Limpet mines are just one of the challenges Russia faces in exporting its petroleum to global markets. According to Reuters, persistent Ukrainian attacks on refineries and the growing impact of U.S. sanctions on the "shadow fleet" have curtailed Russia's ability to process or ship out its oil production. An estimated 12-14 percent of Russian refining capacity is offline because of Ukrainian drone attacks, and about a third of all Russia-linked tankers have been blacklisted by EU and U.S. sanctions. Without the means to either use or move their oil, Russian energy firms may soon exhaust storage options and could begin shutting in production, three Russian oil executives told Reuters this week - the first time since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine that this measure has been considered. Oil revenue accounts for 30-50 percent of the Kremlin's budget, and it is essential for financing the Russian military.
Indian refiners - Russia's biggest oil customers - are working hard to fill the gap by finding new, unsanctioned tankers and operating companies to enter the "shadow fleet" trade, according to Bloomberg. About 14 percent of India's monthly oil imports are riding on the effort; if replacement tankers can't be found by March, Indian refiners will have to make up the balance with more expensive oil from other suppliers, like Middle Eastern producers - leaving millions of barrels of Russian crude undelivered.
Russian Shadow Tanker Attacked by Houthis is Now Caught by Sanctions
The crude oil tanker Cordelia Moon (163,000 dwt) continues to have a string of bad luck. The vessel listed as owned by a company in the Seychelles and managed from India has been known to be in the Russian oil trade and that has put it in harm’s way more than once.
The tanker which was built in 2006 and is registered in Panama is now finding itself caught in the expanding reach of the U.S. sanctions imposed by the Biden administration against Russia. Bloomberg was first to report the tanker had arrived off India’s Vadinar Port on February 9 but was denied docking rights to unload. Four days later it is still sitting off India according to its AIS signal.
The vessel is laden with Russian oil loaded having departed Novorossiysk on January 10. According to the report on Bloomberg, there are approximately 1 million barrels aboard coming from one of the producers, Surgutneftegaz, which has been sanctioned by the United States.
India has reportedly decided not to receive cargoes or ships that have been sanctioned. Bloomberg quotes India’s Oil Minister Pankaj Jain as saying the country had decided not to accept shipments from sanctioned companies if they were loaded after January 10. India had previously turned away Russian cargoes due to Western pressures and recently China’s Shandong Port Group also said it would not be accepting sanctioned tankers.
Being in the Russian oil trade has not been good for the Cordelia Moon. The tanker was bound for Suez after having offloaded in India when the Houthis targeted the vessel on October 1. The tanker’s captain told the authorities that in the first wave of attacks, they spotted several splashes. The Houthis claimed a launch of eight missiles and one drone against the tanker. During the second attack, the vessel’s port ballast tank was punctured. The Houthis released spectacular images showing the moment of explosion on the ship’s hull.
After completing repairs, the tanker was transiting the Bosphorus bound for Russia for its next cargo when it experienced engine troubles. The Bosporus was closed on December 26 by the disabled ship. The Turkish authorities stepped in and towed it to an anchorage.
It is unclear what is going to happen with the Cordelia Moon. The Indian Oil Minister told Bloomberg he was not aware of the case.
Today, Reuters highlights that U.S. sanctions are beginning to have an increasing impact both on Russia and Iran. The sanctions they report are driving up costs. With fewer ships available Reuters says transport costs have risen for the oil. They report costs are being driven up for Indian and Chinese refineries which have been the largest customers for the oil.
No comments:
Post a Comment