Two sanctioned, Russian-controlled liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers are undertaking significant voyages, with one heading towards the Red Sea and another nearing China, highlighting Russia's use of a "shadow fleet" to circumvent sanctions.

La Perouse: Return Voyage via Suez Canal

The LNG carrier La Perouse, currently in ballast, is on course to move into the Red Sea and transit the Suez Canal. This is notable because the vessel avoided this route on its outbound, laden voyage to China, instead taking the longer path via the Cape of Good Hope. The Bab el-Mandeb strait, the entrance to the Red Sea, has been largely avoided by LNG carriers since Houthi militant attacks on merchant shipping escalated in early 2024. The La Perouse had previously loaded a cargo at the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 plant in August and discharged it in China last month.

Arctic Metagaz Precedent and Houthi Stance

In October, another sanctioned Russian shadow ship, the Arctic Metagaz, transited the Suez Canal northbound in ballast, marking the first full-size LNG carrier to use the waterway in eight months. Concurrently, the Houthis have indicated they are continuing a halt on attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea but are monitoring the situation.

CCH Gas: Cargo Transfer and Evasive Routing

Further east, the sanctioned, Russian-controlled vessel CCH Gas is being tracked as it nears China. This vessel took on a cargo from the Russian-controlled ship Perle in a mid-October ship-to-ship transfer operation off Malaysia. The Perle was loaded at the US-sanctioned Portovaya LNG plant in February. Kpler data shows the CCH Gas is taking the longer return route, having rounded the Cape of Good Hope. The vessel had previously gone dark on AIS and was apparently spoofing its location, but satellite imagery confirms it is heading towards China.

Security Incident and Discharge Pattern

In a separate security incident last week, the QatarEnergy-controlled LNG carrier Al Thumama outran a suspected approach by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa. To date, Russia has discharged all its sanctioned LNG shipments at the Beihai LNG terminal in China's Guangxi province.

This material is an AI-assisted summary based on publicly available sources and may contain inaccuracies. For the original and full details, please refer to the source link. Based on materials by Lucy Hine. All rights to the original text and images remain with their respective rights holders.