China develops covert tanker fleet to skirt U.S. sanctions on Russian gas

Bloomberg reported the information.

The development signals a significant strategic pivot, providing a critical lifeline to one of the Kremlin’s flagship industries while simultaneously challenging Western restrictions. Vladimir Putin has designated LNG as a cornerstone of Russia’s future energy exports, making willing buyers essential as pipeline sales to Europe have evaporated.

While still in its early stages, the Chinese effort mirrors the "shadow fleet" tactics already established in the Russian oil trade. Evidence is mounting through tanker movements and opaque ownership structures designed to circumvent sanctions.

Shipping data reveals that the LNG tanker CCH Gas, carrying a blacklisted Russian cargo, is currently concealing its location as it approaches a Chinese port. The vessel's registered owner, CCH-1 Shipping Co., lists a Hong Kong address identical to that of a postbox company, Samxin Secretarial Services Ltd.—a tactic commonly used to obscure beneficial ownership when trading restricted fuels from nations like Iran or Russia.

Similarly, another LNG vessel, the recently renamed Kunpeng, has emerged near Singapore with an unusually opaque ownership structure. According to the Equasis shipping database, the tanker's ownership and management were transferred this year to little-known firms in China and the Marshall Islands, with addresses linked to entities that have previously traded other blacklisted fuels.

Building a "shadow fleet" for LNG is significantly more complex than for oil. The vessels must transport fuel at a stable -162C (-260F) and require specialized technology. Furthermore, the global LNG fleet consists of only around 800 carriers, compared to nearly 8,000 oil tankers, making covert movements far more challenging to hide.

• A potent mix of sinking export volumes, lower prices, and military pressure is threatening to drain the oil revenues funding Russia's protracted war in Ukraine.