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Tanker Liteyny Possibility, struck by sanctions, docks in China to unload Russian oil

The Russian tanker Liteyny Possibility, struck by sanctions, has actually docked at the Chinese port of Huanghua to discharge its 700,000 barrel Russian Sokol unrefined freight, two sources knowledgeable about the matter stated, cleaning part of a stockpile of freights interfered with by sanctions on Moscow's. oil trade.

The tanker is one of 6 ships bring Sokol crude, which. India has actually not had the ability to import due to payment concerns. The six. ships had actually been cruising to China however 5 of them are drifting at. sea early today, delivering information revealed, following fresh U.S. sanctions on the Russian oil fleet.

The Liberian-flagged Liteyny Prospect docked on Wednesday at. a berth at Huanghua, near Cangzhou city in Hebei province, that. handles mostly coal and iron ore shipments, shipping information from. analytics firms LSEG, Kpler and Vortexa showed.

Cangzhou port authorities and the manager of the tanker,. Sovcomflot (SCF), did not immediately react to requests for. remark.

It is unclear what is keeping back the staying five ships. from discharging their freights.

Although there is no clear policy or assistance for ports. to choose whether to enable vessels under sanctions to dock, port. authorities are wary of secondary sanctions, trade sources stated.

The ports are most likely to have told purchasers that there is no. concern with customizeds clearance however would not enable oil to be. stored for prolonged periods of time, the sources added.

The backlog of Sokol tankers is the most significant disturbance to. Russia's oil trade because the West enforced sanctions on Moscow. over its military actions in Ukraine. Sokol oil is a low-sulphur. grade exported from De Kastri terminal of Russia's Sakhalin. island by Sakhalin-1 LLC, controlled by oil giant Rosneft.

Rosneft did not immediately react to an ask for. comment.

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Possession Control. ( OFAC) late last month enforced sanctions on SCF and designated 14. crude vessels, consisting of Liteyny Prospect, as home in which. SCF has an interest.

OFAC provided basic licences permitting the offloading of. crude oil, or other freights, from the 14 vessels for 45 days,. and enabling transactions with all other Sovcomflot tankers.

The sanctions are aimed at minimizing Russia's incomes from. oil sales it can use to support its war in Ukraine.

(source: Reuters)