South Korea Ships 176,000 Tons of Fuel to Russia on Sanctioned Tankers
South Korea shipped 176,000 tons of fuel – mainly diesel – to Russia in July and August, with part of the cargo transported on sanctioned tankers, The Guardian reported on October 6, citing port records and ship-tracking data.
Over the course of two months, seven tankers completed 14 voyages to ports in Russia’s Far East, according to the news agency. Three of those vessels were already under British and EU sanctions, and one took on its cargo through a ship-to-ship transfer in South Korean waters – a method that can obscure where a cargo came from and lets ships avoid calling at port terminals.
Sanctioned Tankers Involved
The largest carrier involved was the sanctioned tanker Layla. The vessel hauled a total of 57,000 tons of diesel to Vladivostok over two trips, departing from the southeastern port of Ulsan on July 19 and August 10. While the crew explicitly listed Vladivostok as its destination on the first voyage, they claimed the ship was bound for Niigata, Japan, during the second run.
Another blacklisted vessel, the Russian-flagged Astoria – which also faces Australian sanctions – loaded nearly 11,000 tons of fuel at Ulsan on August 1. The crew declared Japan as their destination before sailing directly to Vladivostok.
The third sanctioned tanker, the Chongchon, bypassed the docks entirely. It loaded roughly 26,000 tons of fuel from an unsanctioned vessel, the Celeste I, while anchored off the southern South Korean port of Yeosu in early August. After declaring Singapore as its destination, the ship turned and sailed straight to Vladivostok.
Buyers Revealed
Data from maritime analytics firm Kpler revealed the buyers included Rosneft, Russia’s state-owned oil giant, which faces British, U.S., European Union, and Australian sanctions. Another buyer was NNK, a Russian oil firm whose owner, Eduard Khudainatov, and subsidiary NNK-Oil are both under U.K. sanctions.
Context: Russia’s Fuel Imports
In August, Russia imported 368,000 tonnes of oil products by sea, more than seven times the previous month and the highest monthly total since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, The Guardian wrote. South Korea accounted for 112,000 tonnes, or 31%, of that amount, second only to India.
Kyiv-Seoul Dispute Over North Korean POWs
Zelenskyy announced at the U.N. General Assembly on September 23 that Ukraine had recently transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said the following day that Ukraine had violated an understanding that the transfer would remain confidential, describing the prisoners’ repatriation as an “extremely sensitive” matter involving diplomacy and national security.
Original Article: South Korea ships 176,000 tons of fuel to Russia on sanctioned tankers — Nv