Arctic crude traffic surges as sanctioned tankers head for China
- Russian crude voyages east through the Arctic surged in July-August, with the momentum carrying into September
- China remains the main destination: AIS gaps and draught changes off Vladivostok and in Bohai Bay point to STS transfers and quiet discharges
- Ukrainian strikes on Baltic infrastructure pushed loadings to Arctic ports, while some tankers took a rare route north of Severnaya Zemlya, attributed to this year’s ice conditions
Russia’s Arctic crude corridor has become a sanctioned-only lane and China is still taking the barrels
