Second Sanctioned Tanker Offloads Russian Arctic Crude Oil in Syria

Syria has received another 100,000 tons of Arctic crude following last week’s initial Russian Arctic delivery.

The 106,061-dwt Aframax tanker Sakina offloaded at Baniyas port on March 25, according to Syrian news agency reports. 

The vessel follows a similar delivery by the Aframax tanker Aquatica on March 21 supplying 722,000 barrels. In the past Syria received much of its crude oil and fuel supply from Iran, but deliveries ceased following the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad, an ally of the regime in Tehran. Iran reportedly shipped up to 100,000 barrels of oil per day to the country. 

Syria has been struggling to meet its energy needs and replacing former Iranian supplies since the end of 2024. The country’s largest refinery, Baniyas, has been shuttered since December of last year.

This new set of deliveries are indicative of Moscow’s intention to maintain a military presence in the country, though the new Syrian regime denies any kind of deal with Russia.

Both vessels, Sakina and Aquatica, loaded fuel at the Umba storage tanker outside Russia’s northern city of Murmansk. Umba and another floating storage tanker located nearby, Kola, receive crude from three Russian Arctic oil projects Varandey, Prirazlomnoye, and Novy Port. They can each hold 300,000 tons of crude oil. Using ice-capable tankers the product is shuttled year-round from the frozen Pechora and Kara Seas to the ice-free waters near Murmansk. From there it is reloaded and shipped to markets.

The icebreaking shuttle tankers, the Umba and Kola storage units as well as Sakina and Aquatica have all been sanctioned by the U.S. Following the final and largest round of sanctions by the Biden Administration on January 10 Russia has faced additional challenges selling its crude oil, including the Arctic variety.

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