Tanker With Russian Oil Sits Off Ghana 2 Weeks After Arrival

Bloomberg reports that an oil tanker loaded with Russian crude has been idling off the coast of Ghana for more than two weeks now.

The tanker Theseus reached Ghana’s territorial waters on 24^th February, 2023 and was due to discharge its load into storage thanks at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR). However, due to security considerations, the cargo is yet to be unloaded despite approval from the National Petroleum Authority.

Background

Following
the ban on imports from Russia by the European Union, Russia’s pool of buyers
shrank dramatically in December, forcing traders to find new markets for
Russian barrels. 

According
to data compiled by Bloomberg, this is the first Russian shipment to Ghana in
at least four years

The
loaded tanker with about 600,000 barrels of crude left Russia’s Black Sea port
of Novorossiysk in late January, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by
Bloomberg.

Meanwhile,
a different product tanker SCF Yenisei with Russian diesel also arrived at Tema
a week ago after loading about 40,000 tons from Russia’s Baltic port of
Primorsk in early February, according to a port agent report and ship-tracking
data compiled by Bloomberg. It has yet to discharge.

However,
the National Petroleum Authority and the Tema Oil Refinery are yet to respond
to these developments.