STS transfers can be used to obscure a crude shipment’s origin or end-destination
Russian crude exports see partial rebound
Volumes have risen in recent weeks amid an uptick in flows to East Asia, says analytics firm Vortexa, while even in Europe the picture is mixed
Russian exports of crude and dirty petroleum products—particularly fuel oil—have recovered somewhat in April after trending down from early March, according to David Wech, chief economist at energy analytics firm Vortexa. Combined Baltic and Black Sea crude export volumes are up over the month so far, contrary to expectations, Vortexa’s lead crude analyst Jay Maroo confirms. The four-week rolling average of Russian crude export volumes is now back to up around 1.9mn bl/d, thanks to a big increase in cargoes heading towards Asia—mainly India and China—he continues. Ship-to-ship (STS) transfers are being used to combine smaller cargoes of Urals crude—loaded in the Baltic and Black Sea—onto ver
Also in this section
17 January 2025
Supply glut or supply deficit are both plausible outlooks, with tariffs and sanctions among the key risks that could swing the pendulum
17 January 2025
European Commission is on its way to meeting clean energy goals, but energy security concerns and higher costs may give it second thoughts
17 January 2025
The CEO of QatarEnergy has highlighted the potential impact a new EU directive could have on energy exports to the continent
16 January 2025
The government’s resource nationalism is aggravating the NOC’s debt position and could yet worsen if also tasked with the decarbonisation shift
