An oil tanker carrying Russian crude is now approaching the coast of Brazil after a 16-day journey from a terminal in the Arctic Sea.
The Aframax Stratos Aurora-class tanker is now about 500 miles from the Latin American country’s waters, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. She loaded about 650,000 barrels from Murmansk on August 22 and briefly showed destination Madre De Deus, Brazil, before switching to Atlantic to place the order.
If the tanker discharges to Brazil, it would be the first time Russian crude has been sent to the South American country since at least 2016, tracking data show.
Russia has had to move its crude to markets far from its traditional buyers in Western countries following sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine. Most of its flagship products from the Urals and the Arctic are bought by refiners in Asia, especially India and China.
While Brazil would represent a new market for Russian crude, the South American nation already boosted its imports of Russian fuel since February.
Crude from Russian Arctic terminals is typically sent to storage facilities in Murmansk, where cargoes are consolidated for onward delivery.
