Key facts
- Over 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, were shipped from South Korea to Russia in July and August.
- Three of the seven tankers used for the shipments are sanctioned by the UK and EU.
- One sanctioned tanker, the Astoria, loaded fuel in Ulsan declaring Japan as its destination before sailing to Vladivostok.
- Russia's diesel output is down nearly 30% on last year due to disrupted refining capacity.
- South Korea accounted for 31% of Russia's sea-borne oil product imports in August.
South Korea has been shipping significant volumes of fuel, primarily diesel, to Russia via tankers, some of which are under international sanctions, according to an analysis of port records and ship-tracking data. In July and August, over 176,000 tonnes of fuel were loaded onto seven tankers that made 14 voyages to Russia's far east.
Three of these vessels are sanctioned by the UK and EU, and one engaged in a ship-to-ship transfer in South Korean waters, a practice that can obscure the origin of the cargo. Isaac Levi, an analyst at the Finnish thinktank CREA, described the situation as "shocking" and stated that it "undermines the sanctions regime and South Korea’s support for Ukraine."
South Korea has provided humanitarian aid and non-lethal military supplies to Ukraine and pledged $2.3 billion in support for 2023. However, the country has sought to balance this with improving relations with Russia, ruling out direct arms shipments to Ukraine. While these fuel shipments do not appear to violate South Korean law, they risk portraying Seoul as a weak link in Western efforts to pressure Russia.
The largest carrier, the sanctioned Layla, made two voyages from Ulsan to Vladivostok carrying a total of 57,000 tonnes of diesel. Another sanctioned tanker, the Astoria, loaded nearly 11,000 tonnes of fuel at Ulsan, declaring Japan as its destination before heading to Vladivostok. A third sanctioned tanker, the Chongchon, took on about 26,000 tonnes of fuel via a ship-to-ship transfer off the coast of Yeosu before heading to Vladivostok.
Russia's refining capacity has been severely impacted by Ukrainian drone strikes, leading to a significant drop in diesel output. Data from maritime analytics firm Kpler indicates that buyers of these imported products included Rosneft and NNK, both Russian entities under various sanctions. In August, Russia's sea-borne oil product imports surged to their highest monthly total since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with South Korea being the second-largest supplier after India.