A supertanker carrying crude oil to China has diverted from its original destination after the United States imposed sanctions on a key import terminal in Shandong province.
According to LSEG data, the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) New Vista, chartered by Unipec—the trading arm of China Petroleum and Chemical Corp (Sinopec)—changed its destination over the weekend from the port of Rizhao to the ports of Ningbo and Zhoushan, where it is now expected to arrive on October 15.
The vessel, capable of carrying 2 million barrels of oil, is currently transporting Abu Dhabi’s Upper Zakum crude. It was previously scheduled to be discharged at Rizhao on Sunday.
The diversion comes after the U.S. Treasury on Friday sanctioned the Rizhao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal, accusing it of receiving Iranian crude from sanctioned vessels. The terminal, located in the city of Lanshan in Shandong—one of China’s major refining hubs—is half-owned by a Sinopec logistics subsidiary.
The latest sanctions also targeted several ships involved in transporting Iranian crude and liquefied petroleum gas, as well as an independent Chinese refinery.
Industry executives and analysts say the Rizhao terminal is strategically important for Sinopec, handling about one-fifth of the company’s crude oil imports. Sinopec has not yet commented on the diversion.