Fuel trading has been complicated by the Group of Seven industrialised nations' imposition of a price cap on Russian oil in December and separate European Union measures that took effect on Feb. 5 to prohibit Russian crude and oil products. Even cargoes under non-Russian flags are not necessarily immune.
Spain's northeastern Tarragona port on Feb. 10 refused entry to the Singapore-flagged Maersk Magellan after its cargo of oil products was found to have previously been carried by a vessel that was formerly Russian flagged. "We are still waiting for new voyage orders, so the destination has not been set yet, but it will be outside of the EU," a Maersk Tankers spokesperson said on Friday. Ship tracking data showed on Friday that the tanker was sailing past the southern Greek coast with its navigational destination listed as the Mediterranean Sea. The vessel left its position outside Tarragona on Tuesday, Maersk Tankers said. Ship tracking had shown the Greek port of Kalamata was its next destination.
A Greek shipping ministry official told Reuters that "so far, we have not received a request from the vessel to dock at Kalamata," adding it was common for ships to change their destination en route.
Spain's Merchant Fleet said on Wednesday that the vessel could not "access... according to the regulations, any EU port". Maersk Tankers said earlier this week that official documents showed the cargo was of Turkish origin. (Reporting by Jonathan Saul, additional reporting by Lefteris Papadimas in Athens; editing by Barbara Lewis)
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