The sanctioned tanker with Russian oil came to Japan: the United States does not mind

The Voyager tanker delivered oil to Japan from the Sakhalin—2 project. The project is subject to exceptions from US sanctions, unlike the ship itself. However, the US has told the Japanese government that such a delivery is possible.

"Japan's Taiyo Oil is taking delivery of a cargo of Russian crude oil on a tanker that is blacklisted by both the US Treasury Department and the European Union," Bloomberg writes. The agency notes that the delivery of Sakhalin oil occurred for the first time in two years and indicates a decrease in requirements for Russian oil from buyers.

The Voyager tanker was named Vernadsky Prospekt last year and is under the control of Sovcomflot. And in January he was sanctioned by the United States, later by the European Union.

According to AIS vessels, the tanker delivered 600 thousand barrels of Sakhalin Blend oil to the port of Kikuma.

A spokesman for Taiyooil confirmed the delivery to Bloomberg and said that it was being carried out at the request of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Sakhalin —2, in which Japanese Mitsui and Mitsubishi participate, is known for LNG production. But the project also produces oil at the same time, without the export of which the production of liquefied gas may suffer, said a representative of the oil refining company.

The representative of the ministry, in turn, said that the agency contacted the American government, where he was told that Japan could use sanctioned vessels to import oil from the Sakhalin—2 project.

Sakhalin—2 provided about 8% of Japan's total LNG needs last year. This is a key project for the Japanese government, and any drop in production becomes a matter of national security," Bloomberg reporter Stephen Stapzhinsky said in an interview.