Russia deploys second ‘stealth’ LNG tanker for approved gas project

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) –

Russia continues its game of hide-and-seek in the Arctic and tries to send LNG tankers undetected to its approved gas project Arctic LNG 2. After a first visit by an LNG tanker pioneer As new satellite images show, a second ship called at the facility last week.

The new ship is apparently the 137,200 cbm Asya Energy (built in 2002). It began transmitting a false AIS signal in the Barents Sea on August 8, allowing it to leave the area undetected, reported data intelligence company Kpler. Spoofing obscures a ship’s actual position.

Ship tracking websites still show Asya Energy off the coast of Norway, while in reality the ship travelled 1000 nautical miles to the approved project. Only direct visual observations, e.g. via satellite, confirm its true location.

Asya EnergyThe spherical Moss-type cargo tanks allow for easier visual identification compared to the more modern standard membrane tankers. This is probably the first time that a Moss-type tanker has visited one of Russia’s LNG projects in the Arctic.

As Russia builds a full-fledged fleet of Dark Vessels, its spoofing operations are becoming increasingly sophisticated. pioneer showed a highly symmetric fake AIS signature, Asya EnergyThe fake track from seems much more realistic. It was the pioneerThe unrealistic geometric flight path initially led industry experts to suspect that the aircraft might be transmitting a false signal.

Determining which LNG vessels are where they should be and which are not has kept shipping and LNG data analysts busy for weeks.

Russia is essentially playing a cup-and-ball game with LNG ships – a popular magic trick, one analyst told gCaptain.

SCF La Perouseanother possible candidate for the Russian shadow fleet, has been lying idle in the Barents Sea for more than a month and follows a similar pattern to pioneer And Asya EnergyBut satellite images show that, at least for now, it is indeed where the AIS says it is. More ships are likely to follow in the coming weeks on their way to Arctic LNG 2.

“At the current production rate, we can expect a cargo loading approximately every 8 days,” said Mehdy Touil, a senior LNG specialist at Calypso Commodities.

It takes a lot of effort to get through the Russian efforts at confusion and obfuscation, as each vessel’s AIS position must be compared with satellite images, which can be challenging when the weather is cloudy for several days.

And not every LNG tanker that sails into the Russian Arctic is involved in illegal activities – in fact, the majority are not. Russia’s Yamal LNG project remains unapproved, and dozens of ships, including many owned by Western companies, regularly dock at the project to deliver their cargo to European markets.

Both pioneer And Asya Energy are flagged under Palau and managed by India-based Ocean Speedstar Solutions, based on information from shipping database Equasis. The company did not respond to requests for comment.

The US will likely target the Shadow Fleet ships in its next round of sanctions, having previously blocked heavy transport vessels carrying Chinese LNG modules for the Arctic LNG 2 project.

Another possible way would be to put pressure on the flag state.

“Palau is completely dependent on the United States, so an immediate step for the U.S. government would be to put hard pressure on Palau to punish the ship owners,” explains Michael Byers, professor of global politics and international law at the University of British Columbia.

Of course, the ships could then be re-registered under another flag of convenience, which would start the “game” all over again.

“Flags of convenience have long been tolerated by the United States and other industrialized countries because they appeal to industry. But today security concerns are more important,” concludes Byers.

Russia’s illegal activities come at a time when the U.S. Coast Guard is increasingly out of action in the Arctic. The icebreaker Healy had to abandon its summer patrol after an engine room fire, leaving the U.S. without a surface vessel in the region for the rest of the summer and likely beyond.

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