Working Conditions Aboard the Cai-Yun

On September 12, 2025, the oil tanker 'Cay Yun' suffered damage following Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russia's oil-loading facility at the Primorsk port in the Baltic Sea. These coordinated attacks sparked a fire and led to the temporary halt of loading operations at the terminal. In addition to the 'Cay Yun', another Aframax vessel named 'Kusto' was also affected, sustaining damage and igniting due to the assault. Authorities in the Leningrad region of Russia later reported that both the tanker and a nearby pumping station caught fire, but they assured that the situation was quickly brought under control, eliminating any risk of environmental spillage.

A significant charter agreement has been finalized, involving the transport of 100,000 tons of dirty cargo from Sidi Kerir to the Baltic region. The operation is set to take place between November 2 and November 7, 2019, and has been secured with a lump sum of $1 million with the company PKN. This strategic move is anticipated to bolster shipping activities in the Baltic market.

In a significant move, Iraq's state oil company, SOMO, has blacklisted three tankers associated with the transportation of Kurdish crude oil for major traders Vitol and Glencore. According to reports from Reuters, the affected vessels include Maran Tankers’ Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Maran Centaurus (IMO: 9170262, 300,300 dwt, built 1995), Premuda’s Suezmax Four Smile (IMO: 9286968, 159,800 dwt, built 2001), and the Aframax SN Olivia (IMO: 9432307, 110,000 dwt, built 2010) operated by Gruppo Scerni. Currently, Four Smile and Maran Centaurus are on charter to Vitol, while SN Olivia is chartered to ST Shipping, a subsidiary of Glencore. This ban marks a continuation of the long-standing tension between the Kurdistan region and the central Iraqi government over oil exports and revenue-sharing agreements. Since mid-2015, Kurdish oil has been independently exported via Turkey, following claims that Baghdad breached their agreed financial arrangements, resulting in insufficient funds being transferred to Erbil. Conversely, the Iraqi government has accused Erbil of falling short in the volume of crude exported under their prior agreements. The ongoing dispute underscores the complexities of oil dynamics in the region.