Russia-Owned Oil Tanker Reroutes And Arrives In This Caribbean Country

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Mar. 7, 2022: As the US and other Western nations tighten sanctions on Russia and Russian owned businesses and assets, the Liberia-flagged Sovcomflot-owned oil tanker SCF Neva had to abruptly change course from Canada. Today, the vessel arrived in the Bahamas, in the Caribbean, vessel data show.

The vessel was carrying bunker fuel for Canada’s Irving Oil, the company said. It loaded in mid-February in Colombia and made a stop at a storage terminal in St. Eustatius in the Caribbean, according to Refinitiv Eikon tanker tracking data.

Irving Oil, which owns the 320,000-barrel-per-day Saint John refinery, confirmed the SCF Neva had been scheduled to arrive at its New Brunswick facility.

As countries impose formal and informal restrictions on Russian vessels, many might be also rerouted to Asia, officials say.

Russian-flagged ships represent a very small percentage of U.S. traffic but barring Russian cargo from the United States would have a dramatically larger impact. It was not clear if the administration is seriously considering that more drastic step.

*Rewritten from Reuters