This newly discovered transshipment point off the coast of Nador shows that Russian operators and traders continue to find alternatives to circumvent sanctions and move Russian crude and refined products to international markets.
Last month, the Greek navy carried out an exercise in the Gulf of Lakoniki in southern Greece, and banned all ships from traveling there.
Since the European Union imposed an embargo on Russian oil and since the price cap, Moscow has stopped using Western transport companies, insurance and financial services, but has not reduced its operations in the waters as close as possible to EU territorial waters.
In May, Greece announced the creation of an exclusion zone with naval participation in the international waters of the Gulf of Lakonia, disrupting Russian oil supplies.
“It is unclear whether this military action was intended to prevent sanctions evasion or not, but it had that effect.” Russian media report.
As a result, Russian traders have shifted their transshipment activities to the Moroccan coast, where at least three Aframax tankers loaded with Urals products from the Russian Baltic Sea port of Primorsk arrived recently.
They will then transship the flagship product onto larger vessels which will deliver the products to customers. Routes are tracked by Bloomberg using automated systems.
