In July and August, more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, were shipped from South Korean ports to the Russian Federation, an aggressor state. According to The Guardian, seven tankers made 14 voyages to Russia’s Far East.
The publication analysed port records and vessel-tracking data. Three of the tankers carrying fuel were under UK and European Union sanctions. One of them received its cargo through a ship-to-ship transfer in South Korean waters — a method that makes it possible to avoid calling at a port terminal and may conceal the origin of the cargo.
The largest volume was transported by the sanctioned tanker Layla: it sailed twice from Ulsan to Vladivostok, on July 19 and August 10, carrying a total of 57,000 tonnes of diesel fuel. During its second voyage, the vessel told South Korean authorities it was heading to Niigata, Japan, but arrived in Vladivostok.
The Russian-flagged tanker Astoria, which is also subject to Australian sanctions, loaded nearly 11,000 tonnes of fuel in Ulsan on August 1. The vessel listed Japan as its destination but later headed to Vladivostok. Another sanctioned tanker, Chongchon, received about 26,000 tonnes of fuel from the non-sanctioned tanker Celeste I near the South Korean port of Yeosu in early August. Chongchon declared Singapore as its destination but subsequently headed to Vladivostok.
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According to maritime analytics company Kpler, buyers included the state-controlled company Rosneft, which is under UK, US, EU and Australian sanctions, as well as the Russian NNK group. Its owner, Eduard Khudainatov, and NNK-Oil are under UK sanctions.
In August, Russia imported 368,000 tonnes of petroleum products by sea — more than seven times as much as a month earlier. This is the highest monthly figure since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kpler notes. South Korea accounted for 112,000 tonnes, or 31% of this volume; only India supplied more.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not comment directly on the shipments or the use of sanctioned tankers. The ministry said that the country supports international efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine and restore peace, and that it strictly enforces export restrictions on Russia. According to the publication, these supplies do not appear to violate South Korean law, as its restrictions against Russia mostly concern export controls on industrial equipment, electronics and automobiles.
