A Maersk Tankers vessel barred from a Spanish port for a Russian-related sanctions breach will finally discharge its cargo this week, said the Danish pool operator.

The 51,600-dwt Maersk Magellan (built 2010) will discharge its cargo of vacuum gasoil (VGO) in a ship-to-ship transfer to a larger vessel outside of EU territorial waters, said the company.

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The Maersk Product Tanker-owned ship has been off the coast of northern Cyprus for more than a month after it was barred from unloading at the Spanish port of Tarragona in February by the Spanish authorities.

The cargo had previously been carried by a former Russian-flagged tanker, the 46,100-dwt Nobel (built 1997) and ended up on the Maersk Magellan after two ship-to-ship transfers in the Alboran Sea off the coast of Spain.

The Nobel, which loaded the VGO at the Turkish port of Aliaga on 28 January, changed its flag from Russia to Cameroon on 1 July, but remained banned from discharging at EU ports, under the terms of the EU sanctions regime.

The Nobel, owned by a company in Seychelles, discharged the cargo to the 108,900-dwt Elephant (built 2007) in the Alboran Sea. The Vietnamese-owned vessel in turn discharged to the Maersk Magellan which was barred from Tarragona on 9 February, according to Spain’s transport ministry.

It said that the Maersk Magellan’s attempt to unload was an effort to circumvent EU sanctions rules imposed against Russia.

The Maersk Magellan has been waiting for a new deal to discharge the oil but made a port call in Turkey 10 days ago to change crew and resupply. It left the area last week for Kalamata, off southern Greece, according to Kpler vessel tracking data.

“Maersk Magellan has now been given discharge orders,” said Maersk Tankers. “Maersk Magellan is expected to commence discharge towards the end of this week.”

The Nobel has remained in the Alboran Sea since early February. The Elephant was also entering the Alboran Sea on Monday with a cargo of Urals crude loaded at the Russian port of Ust-Luga on 12 March for delivery to Morocco, according to the Kpler data.