Shadow fleet tankers appear to have returned to waters off Spain for transfers of Russian oil.
The Spanish government believed it had ended the practice last year.
Shipping data suggest two suezmaxes controlled by Hong Kong’s Prominent Shipmanagement have followed patterns of activity consistent with ship-to-ship operations.
The 159,000-dwt Sakarya (built 2011) left waters off Ceuta on Saturday.
This was previously a regular destination for vessels switching oil cargoes.
Its depth in the water indicated it had unloaded a cargo of about 730,000 barrels loaded at Primorsk in October, data cited by Bloomberg showed.
The vessel had been absent from tracking systems for 60 hours prior to this.
Three empty VLCCs were in the area at the time.
The Sakarya was off the UK on Monday, heading to Murmansk in Russia.
This could be the first transfer off Ceuta since August last year when Spain’s government wrote to local companies about the practice.
A sister ship, the 158,000-dwt Cankiri (built 2008), loaded about 1m barrels last month at Novorossiysk in Russia.
Insurers not known
It arrived off Ceuta on 8 November and has now left the area, heading to Murmansk.
The Spanish government has not commented.
Both vessels sail under the Panama flag. Their insurers are not known.
Prominent Shipmanagement was founded in 2022, its website says.
“Our company mission is to be recognised as leading ship management company of oil tankers and bulk carriers,” it adds.
The company has been contacted for comment.
Waters off Greece have also been a popular transshipment location, but Greek naval exercises have disrupted this practice.
