Oil Tankers News

Venezuela on Thursday authorized two very large crude carriers (VLCC) to set sail for China, according to two sources familiar with Venezuela's oil export operations, which would be only the second and third supertankers to depart the country since the U.S. seized a ship carrying Venezuelan oil last week.The U.S. has said it would not allow vessels under sanction to leave Venezuelan waters. The departing tankers, each carrying around 1.9 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey heavy crude according to internal documents from state company PDVSA, are not on the U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered on Tuesday a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Washington's latest move to increase pressure on Nicolas Maduro's government, targeting its main source of income.It is unclear how Trump will impose the move against the sanctioned vessels, and whether he will turn to the Coast Guard to interdict vessels like he did last week. The administration has moved thousands of troops and nearly a dozen warships - including an aircraft carrier - to the region."For the theft of our Assets…

The European Union adopted fresh sanctions against Russian oil interests on Monday, targeting traders Murtaza Lakhani and Etibar Eyyub for helping Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions on crude exports that help to fund Russia's war in Ukraine.The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions so far, but Moscow has managed to adapt to most measures and is still selling millions of barrels of oil to India and China, albeit at discounts to global prices. Much of this is transported using…

A tanker carrying Russian naphtha for Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA and at least four supertankers due to pick up crude cargoes in Venezuela have made u-turns after the U.S. seized a vessel carrying Venezuelan crude, ship monitoring data showed on Monday.The U.S. Coast Guard last week intercepted and seized a very large crude carrier (VLCC) carrying some 1.85 million barrels of Venezuelan heavy oil sold by PDVSA, a sign of increasing friction between Venezuela and the U.S.…

Iranian authorities detained 18 crew members of a foreign tanker seized in the Gulf of Oman on Friday that they said was carrying 6 million litres of smuggled fuel, Iranian media reported on Saturday.Iran, which has some of the world's lowest fuel prices due to heavy subsidies and the plunge in the value of its national currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighboring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.(Reuters - Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din and Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Jan Harvey)

Discussions on the need to tighten sanctions on Russia, including the possibility of a blanket ban on providing maritime services, should not be at the expense of legitimate businesses in the industry, key EU shipping nations Cyprus and Malta said.The Group of Seven countries and the European Union are in talks to replace a price cap on Russian oil exports with a full maritime services ban in an attempt to reduce the oil revenue that helps finance Russia's war in Ukraine, Reuters exclusively reported on Dec.

A Russian-flagged tanker loaded with sunflower oil reported a drone attack off the Turkish coast on Tuesday, but its 13 crew members were unharmed, Turkey's maritime authority and the Tribeca shipping agency said.Ukrainian naval drones last week hit two tankers sanctioned by Kyiv and some of its Western allies in the Black Sea as they headed to a Russian port to load oil destined for foreign markets, as the country attempts to pile pressure on Russia's oil sector.Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said Ukraine was not involved in Tuesday's attack…

Increased sanctions (enforcement), resilient oil demand, partly due to stock building in China, and growing OPEC+ supply have all contributed to create a rate environment we have not seen since the freight rate boom in the early days of the pandemic, says Poten & Partners in an opinion this week.Very limited fleet supply growth in 2024 and 2025 has also contributed.“A tightening supply-demand balance has made the freight market more susceptible to small changes in ton-mile demand.

Business Korea reports that two tankers built at domestic Korean yard K Shipbuilding will be delivered under the U.S. flag and able to trade within the US.Construction will begin on the two 50,000dwt medium range tankers early next year for delivery in 2027.They will transport crude oil and LNG after Greek shipping company Stealthgas transferred the order to its U.S. subsidiary, reports Business Korea, citing sources. Construction will be supervised by ABS.More companies are expected to follow suit.

James Fisher and Sons has established a new operational base in Uruguay. A key growth region for the business, the new base expands James Fisher’s ship-to-ship (STS) services in South America to provide a strategic hub for clients requiring rapid mobilization and support across South America’s energy trade routes.The base was inaugurated with a successful offshore operation, safely transferring one million barrels of crude oil between two tankers. The operation mobilized James Fisher’s specialist equipment…

The European Union's diplomatic arm, the EEAS, is urging member states to back a maritime declaration that would allow EU nations working with flag states to arrange inspections on Russia's "shadow fleet" of oil tankers, an EEAS document shows.Beefing up inspection rights is the latest EU proposal aimed at curbing Russian oil and gas revenue being used by Moscow to finance the Ukraine war. EU foreign ministers are due to meet on Monday to discuss new measures against Russia, among other topics.In early October…

Britain targeted Russia's two largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft, and 44 shadow fleet tankers on Wednesday in what it described as a new bid to tighten energy sanctions and choke off Kremlin revenues.Lukoil and Rosneft were designated under Britain's Russia sanctions laws for what London described as their role in supporting the Russian government. They are subject to an asset freeze, director disqualification, transport restrictions, and a ban on British trust services.The two companies were considered strategically significant to the Kremlin…

At least 10 people were killed and 18 injured after an oil tanker caught fire early on Wednesday as it was being repaired in Indonesia's Riau Islands province, according to local police.Fire broke out on the vessel, the MT Federal II, at around 4 a.m. on Wednesday (2100 GMT Tuesday) at a shipyard in the city of Batam, local police chief Zaenal Arifin said. Batam is around 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) away from Singapore by sea.MT Federal II was docked and undergoing repairs when it caught fire…

The latest U.S. sanctions on a major Chinese crude oil terminal have forced refining group Sinopec to divert a supertanker and ask some plants to cut crude processing rates, according to ship tracking data and Chinese consultancies.A supertanker carrying oil to the Chinese port of Rizhao in Shandong province changed its destination over the weekend after the U.S. imposed sanctions on an import terminal at the port on Friday, LSEG data showed.Shortly after the U.S. announcement…

Terminal operators in a major oil port in east China's Shandong province are set to introduce measures to ban shadow fleet vessels and curb visits by other old tankers, according to an official notice seen by Reuters and a tanker tracker.The measures, to take effect from November 1, would ban vessels using fake IMO numbers and ships of 31 years or older, which traders said would target what is known as the shadow fleet that transports oil under Western sanctions.Four terminal operators at Huangdao Port last week issued the notice…

Tanker freight rates for shipping Urals crude from Russia’s western ports to India rose further in late September and early October, tracking a sharp increase in loadings last month, industry sources said.Indian refiners continue to buy Russian oil despite punitive U.S. tariffs on goods imported from India after it defied a demand for it to stop the Russian imports.Crude exports from Russia’s western ports of Primorsk, Ust-Luga and Novorossiisk rose by 500,000 barrels per day in September from August to a record 2.5 million bpd…

Indian refiner Nayara Energy, backed by Russia and under European Union sanctions, is relying on a dark fleet to import oil and transport refined fuels, according to shipping reports and LSEG flows.Nayara, which controls about 8% of India's 5.2 million barrel-per-day refining capacity, has been struggling to transport fuel since being placed under EU sanctions in July, a move that prompted shippers to back out, forcing the refiner to cut its crude runs.India, the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer…

Rapid falls in the level of the Caspian Sea are affecting ports and oil shipments and threatening to inflict catastrophic damage on sturgeon and seal populations, according to Azerbaijani officials.The Caspian, the world's largest salt lake, holds significant offshore oil reserves and is bordered by five countries that are all major producers of oil or gas or both: Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan.Azerbaijan's Deputy Ecology Minister Rauf Hajiyev told Reuters that the sea had been getting shallower for decades…

During the first seven months of 2025, Nigeria’s seaborne imports of clean petroleum products (CPP) declined by 39% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 230 thousand barrels per day (kbpd). The decrease follows a 19% reduction during 2024.The reduction in imports is due to the start of operations at the 650 kbpd capacity Dangote refinery early last year. By June 2025, the refinery’s output had reached 550 kbpd, as reported by company officials.“Imports from Northern Europe have reduced the most.

Crowley Stena Marine Solutions, the joint venture between Crowley and Stena Bulk, has received approval from the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) to operate the CS Anthem tanker under the Tanker Security Program.The CS Anthem, a U.S.-flagged, 49,990-metric-ton, medium-range tanker, is crewed and managed by Crowley under a bareboat charter through the joint venture. The vessel joins Crowley-managed tankers Stena Imperative and Stena Impeccable in the Tanker Security Program…

Yemen's Houthis said on Monday they launched a missile towards the Israeli-owned tanker Scarlet Ray near Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port city of Yanbu in a rare attack off the Saudi coast.The Liberia-flagged vessel's Singapore-based manager, Eastern Pacific Shipping, owned by Israeli magnate Idan Ofer, said the chemical tanker was undamaged and under the command of its captain."We are aware of security reports alleging that our managed vessel Scarlet Ray was the target of a suspected Houthi attack…

The Trump administration on Thursday issued more Iran-related sanctions, targeting 13 entities based in Hong Kong, China, the United Arab Emirates and the Marshall Islands, as well as eight vessels, the U.S. Treasury Department said.The measures cover Greek national Antonios Margaritis and his network of companies and vessels that Treasury said was involved in transporting Iranian oil exports in violation of sanctions.Treasury also designated Ares Shipping Limited in Hong Kong…

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) has conducted a steel cutting ceremony for a 115,000-ton product tanker at the HD Hyundai Philippines Shipyard in Subic Bay, Philippines.The vessel is the first ship built by HD Hyundai Philippines and is the first in a series of four vessels ordered from an Asian shipping company in December last year.Last May, HD KSOE signed a lease agreement with Cerberus Capital for a portion of the Philippine shipyard site, marking the…