Russian oil tanker takes detour for fear of Houthi attack?

A massive Russian oil tanker is sailing around Africa en route to Asia – a sign that Moscow’s fleet may not be immune to Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea.

Two Suezmax-class vessels – both of which could theoretically pass through the Suez Canal and then the Houthi-threatened waters to the south – transferred their cargo to the Gold Pearl near the Egyptian port of Port Said earlier this month.

The Russian tanker's detour may have been due to concerns over Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Photo: The Malaysian Reserve

After taking on cargo, the giant ship was found to be too heavy to pass through the 120-mile (193 km) canal between Port Said in the north and Suez in the south, forcing it to choose a detour around Africa.

Bloomberg said it’s unlikely the route change was to avoid the Houthis – especially since other Russian cargo ships continue to pass through the Red Sea – but the Eurasian giant’s tankers have been attacked by the group on several occasions, so it’s possible that this has made some crews wary of moving through the area.

Two Suezmax-class vessels, called Apus and Arlan, carrying about 1 million barrels of oil each from the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, interacted with the Gold Pearl earlier this month.

Calls and text messages to phone numbers and email addresses listed on the Equasis maritime database for the managers of the three ships went unanswered, Bloomberg said.

The transfer from Apus to Gold Pearl took place between Aug. 6 and 8, according to ship-tracking data seen by Bloomberg. The two ships sailed together on both days.

The transfer from Arlan to Gold Pearl was not recorded in the database. But satellite images analyzed by Bloomberg show Arlan and Gold Pearl side by side on August 10 near the Egyptian port of Sidi Kerir. That suggests there may be signs of signal spoofing, which makes tracking a ship difficult.

TankerTrackers.com Inc, which specializes in detecting secret ship movements, has confirmed the identities of the two vessels involved in the transfer of cargo to the Gold Pearl.

Shortly after leaving Port Said on August 11, the Gold Pearl’s draft was updated to show it was fully loaded – consistent with the loading of Suezmax cargoes. The Gold Pearl is now sailing out of the Mediterranean Sea, likely destined for Singapore.

The Gold Pearl had earlier signaled a port call at Algeciras in Spain and stopped east of Malta, where it met a fuel tanker, likely to refuel for the long voyage ahead.

If the ship's ultimate destination is China, then the cost-versus-safety equation of using a larger tanker for the longer distance may have been solved.

Minh Duc (According to gCaptain)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/khong-mien-nhiem-voi-don-tan-cong-cua-houthi-tau-cho-dau-nga-di-duong-vong-204240822161004843.htm