Taiyo Oil, the Japanese buyer, will split the cargo between two discharge terminals at the ports of Kikuma and Namikata.
Historically, Japan is one of the principal buyers of Sakhalin-2 hydrocarbons. In 2019, this country alone consumed about 28% of the Sakhalin Blend (a new oil grade introduced by Sakhalin Energy to the Asia-Pacific Region) sales market.
As noted by Sakhalin Energy’s Commercial Director Andrey Okhotkin, the buyers have been continuing their cooperation with the company, despite the challenging economic environment in the hydrocarbon market. “Given the situation, this is worth a lot more than money, and it proves that we still stand strong as a leader in the Asia-Pacific market,” added A. Okhotkin.
In all, 10 companies from three countries became buyers of Sakhalin Blend in 2019. It was delivered via 17 transit and destination ports in Japan, China, and South Korea.
Last year, as part of the crude oil fleet renewal, Sakhalin Energy chartered two new tankers – Zaliv Baikal and Zaliv Vostok, to replace Governor Farkhutdinov and Sakhalin Island reaching their 15 years from the date of construction. The crude oil tanker Zaliv Aniva has been in the fleet since 2009.
Currently, three oil tankers of “Zaliv” series are operating on the project. These sister ships conform to all applicable international requirements and assure reliable delivery of Sakhalin Blend to the buyers. The tankers are equipped with stationary laser range finders to enable precise mooring to the Prigorodnoye tanker loading unit even in poor visibility.