Croatia rejects Russian vacuum gasoil cargo after U.S. sanctions
Croatia has refused to unload a cargo of Russian vacuum gasoil after U.S. sanctions on two major suppliers disrupted oil and fuel flows, traders and shipping data showed.
Key details. According to traders and LSEG shipping data, the Malta-flagged tanker Hope A loaded about 30,000 metric tons (t) of vacuum gasoil at Russia’s Black Sea port of Tuapse on October 22 and sailed toward Croatia.
However, the vessel reversed course before reaching its destination and headed for ship-to-ship transfers near Greece’s port of Kalamata.
Since October 30, it has been drifting in the Laconian Gulf and then moved to Port Said anchorage awaiting further instructions.
The buyer and seller have not been ascertained.
In October, Washington imposed new Ukraine-related sanctions on Russian energy firms Lukoil and Rosneft, tightening restrictions on the country’s oil trade.
The European Union banned imports of Russian oil products in February 2023, forcing Moscow to redirect fuel exports to Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Despite an EU ban on Russian oil products, Croatia has an exemption on Russian-origin vacuum gasoil until December 31, 2025.
Vacuum gasoil is primarily used as a feedstock for refinery cracking units, such as fluid catalytic crackers (FCC) and hydrocrackers, to produce more valuable products like gasoline and diesel.
So far this year, Croatia has imported about 210,000 tons of vacuum gasoil from Russia, according to traders and LSEG data.
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