Blink and You’ll Miss It: Russia Deploys Second ‘Stealth’ LNG Tanker to Sanctioned Gas Project

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) –

Russia continues its game of Arctic hide and seek attempting to dispatch LNG carriers undetected to its sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 gas project. Following an initial visit by LNG tanker Pioneer last week, a second vessel has now called at the facility new satellite images reveal.

The new vessel in question appears to be the 137,200 cbm Asya Energy (built 2002). It began transmitting a false AIS signal on August 8 in the Barents Sea allowing it to leave the area undetected, data intelligence firm Kpler reported. The so-called spoofing conceals a vessel’s actual position. 

Vessel tracking websites still display Asya Energy off Norway’s coast, while in reality the vessel traveled 1000 nautical miles to the sanctioned project. Only direct visual observations e.g. via satellite confirms its true location.

Asya Energy’s Moss-type spherical cargo tanks allow for easier visual identification compared to the more modern standard membrane-type tankers. It is likely the first time a Moss-type carrier has visited either of Russia’s LNG projects in the Arctic. 

As Russia is developing a full-fledged fleet of dark vessels its spoofing operation is already becoming more sophisticated. While Pioneer displayed a highly symmetrical fake AIS signature, Asya Energy’s spoofed track appears much more realistic. It was the Pioneer’s unrealistic geometrical track that initially led industry experts to suspect it may be transmitting a false signal.

Determining which LNG vessels are where they are supposed to be and which are not has kept shipping and LNG data analysts busy for weeks. 

Russia is essentially playing a game of cups and balls – a popular magic trick – with LNG vessels, one analyst told gCaptain. 

SCF La Perouse, another possible candidate for Russia’s shadow fleet, has been idling in the Barents Sea for more than a month following a similar pattern to Pioneer and Asya Energy. But satellite images reveal it is, at least for now, actually where its AIS says it is. Additional vessels headed for Arctic LNG 2 are likely to follow in the coming weeks.

“At the current production rate, we can expect a cargo loading every 8 days or so” said Mehdy Touil, a lead LNG specialist at Calypso Commodities.

To see through Russia’s efforts to confuse and obfuscate takes effort as the AIS position of each vessel has to be compared to satellite images; challenging at times when cloudy weather conditions persist for several days.

And not every LNG carrier traveling to the Russian Arctic is involved in illicit activity, in fact the majority aren’t. The country’s Yamal LNG remains unsanctioned and dozens of vessels, including many owned and operated by Western companies, routinely call at the project to deliver the cargo to European markets.

Both Pioneer and Asya Energy are flagged in Palau and managed by Ocean Speedstar Solutions out of India, based on information from shipping database Equasis. The company did not respond to requests for comment. 

The U.S. is likely to target the shadow fleet vessels in its next round of sanctions. It has previously blocked heavy lift vessels carrying Chinese LNG modules to the Arctic LNG 2 project.

Another possible avenue would be to exert pressure on the flag state. 

“Palau is entirely dependent on the United States, so one immediate step would be for the U.S. government to lean hard on Palau to punish the shipowners,” explains Michael Byers Professor for Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia. 

Of course, the ships could then be re-registered to another flag of convenience starting the “game” all over. 

“Flags of convenience have long been tolerated by the U.S. and other developed states because industry likes them. But the security interests are weightier now,” Byers concludes. 

Russia’s illicit activity comes at a time when the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic assets are increasingly out of commission. Icebreaker Healy had to abort its summer patrol following an engine compartment fire, leaving the U.S. without surface vessel presence in the region for the rest of summer and likely beyond.