A second OFAC-sanctioned vessel, VOKSHOD (IMO 9953511, formerly NORTH MOUNTAIN), picked up cargo at Arctic LNG 2 (ALNG2) at 10 PM UTC on July 16, 2025. This was confirmed by SynMax Leviaton's advanced LNG vessel-tracking platform. Over the past week, VOKSHOD transited through the Kara Sea near Yamal LNG before reaching the port of Utrenniy at ALNG2.
Prior to this, VOKSHOD departed from the vicinity of other sanctioned vessels—including BURAN (IMO 9953509, formerly NORTH AIR), ZARYA (IMO 9953535, formerly NORTH WAY), and LA PEROUSE (IMO 9849887)—on July 10, 2025. This occurred after it had been hovering in ballast near Murmansk, close to the SAAM floating storage unit (FSU) in Kola Bay. Meanwhile, IRIS, the first sanctioned vessel to load at ALNG2 this year (on June 30, with a reported draft increase indicating it was fully laden), has now joined the group of sanctioned vessels in the Barents Sea region.
SynMax Leviaton, utilizing its vessel-tracking platform in conjunction with SynMax Theia's advanced satellite imagery capabilities, will continue to closely monitor developments related to sanctioned vessels and "dark" LNG activities.
In broader market news, QatarEnergy's LNG vessel AL BIDDA (IMO 9132741), which loaded cargo from Ras Laffan on June 30 and subsequently diverted from its initial course to Belgium, is now bound for Singapore. Its latest captain's log destination, "SG SIN," indicates an expected arrival at Jurong Island by July 22, 2025, according to SynMax Leviaton. This diversion aligns with recent heat waves across East Asia, which have contributed to upward momentum in JKM spot market prices over the past two weeks.
Progress continues on SynMax Leviaton’s in-house European storage inventory forecasting model. This project directly addresses a critical market question: Given current conditions, the EU’s target of achieving 83% storage fill by December 1, 2025, and leveraging three years of historical balances alongside Leviaton's monthly forecasts and other supply-demand fundamentals, how quickly can Europe meet this goal? As of July 16, European storage stands at approximately 63% capacity. Further updates will be provided in upcoming reports.