A cargo ship flying the flag of Panama has moored in a Chinese port; Russian oil is being unloaded from it.. This is a sanctioned tanker, but it calmly stood up for unloading, since it is assumed that ships loaded before January 10 are not subject to punishment.

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According to LSEG Eikon, the Panama-flagged cargo ship Mermar, which docked at Longkou (Yantai) port on Wednesday, was carrying 600,000 barrels of ESPO Blend oil (80,000 metric tons)..

A tanker subject to new US sanctions unloads Russian oil at a port in eastern China operated by Shandong Port Group.. This is evidenced by shipping data published on Thursday, Voice of America reports..

The tanker in question is the first vessel to offload in Shandong province since the sanctions were announced last week, where many Chinese refineries and major importers of Russian oil are located..

According to traders, the sanctions provide for a grace period that exempts from liability cargo that was loaded on January 10 and unloaded before March 12..

The tanker was carrying 80,000 metric tons of Russian ESPO Blend crude oil, which was loaded on January 6 from the port of Kozmino on Russia's east coast, LSEG data shows.. The Mermar is among 183 vessels subject to sanctions imposed last Friday..

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Earlier, at least 65 oil tankers anchored in different regions, including off the coast of China and Russia, after the US announced a new package of sanctions against the Russian Federation on January 10.

According to ship tracking data, five of these tankers were off Chinese ports, another seven anchored off Singapore, and the rest stopped near Russia in the Baltic Sea and Far East..

The stoppage of these tankers increases pressure on vessels already affected by previous US sanctions.. In particular, another 25 oil tankers are “stuck”, including near Iranian ports, as well as near the Suez Canal.