Bloomberg: Russian oil tanker from the "shadow fleet" drifts in the Mediterranean

An oil tanker, which is under sanctions for its role in transporting Russian oil, is likely to have encountered problems off the coast of Algeria and is now drifting in the Mediterranean. This was reported by the agency Bloomberg with a link to the tracking data.

The LR2 Progress class vessel was heading east along the North African coast to the Suez Canal, carrying about 730,000 barrels of Russia's flagship Urals crude oil.

After passing by Algeria on Wednesday afternoon, the vessel turned sharply north and left the shipping lanes. Data shows that on Thursday morning, its navigation status changed to "Not under control" and its speed dropped to about one knot.

Western powers are closely scrutinizing tankers carrying Russian oil, and more than 600 vessels have been blacklisted for their role in transporting this raw material.

On Thursday, France detained another tanker carrying Russian oil on a similar route. At noon on Friday, according to tracking data, the Progress continued to drift eastward at a speed of about one knot.

The international shipping database Equasis indicates that the vessel is operated by Legacy Marine LLC, based in St. Petersburg. The company did not respond to calls and emails.

Going beyond the navigable routes, subsequent changes in navigation status, and a drop in speed indicate some kind of mechanical malfunction.

The Progress is under sanctions from the European Union and the United Kingdom for its involvement in the Russian oil trade. the 19-year-old tanker, whose name has changed twice since it was blacklisted, recently changed its flag to Russian and was entered into the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping in November.

• January 22, the French Navy climbed aboard an oil tanker sailing from Russia and belonging to the "shadow fleet".
• On the same day, it became known that for the transportation of Russian oil for the first time, new Greek tankers were involved, although usually old vessels are used for this purpose.