Cch-Gas Ship Details and Seafarer Feedback

On November 9, the tanker 'CCH Gas', transporting sanctioned Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), surfaced near Hainan Island, just three weeks after a covert ship-to-ship (STS) transfer. The vessel appears to be heading toward the Beihai terminal, having acquired its cargo from the Oman-registered LNG tanker 'Perle' (IMO: 9630028) during a groundbreaking ship-to-ship transfer on October 18. Both 'CCH Gas' and 'Perle' engaged in deceptive practices by spoofing their AIS signals to cover their activities. Satellite images indicated the two ships were positioned side-by-side approximately 50 nautical miles off the Malaysian coast. While the 'CCH Gas' continued to emit a fabricated AIS signal, the 'Perle' has since reactivated its transponder, steering toward Salalah. This transfer benefited from limited satellite visibility due to cloudy weather, allowing both vessels to evade attention. The 'CCH Gas' is currently carrying supercooled gas sourced from Russia's sanctioned Baltic Portovaya plant, which has been under U.S. sanctions since January 10. Should the delivery at Beihai be successful, it could signal China’s commitment to expanding its LNG imports beyond the Arctic LNG 2 project. Interestingly, China has been benefiting from discounts of up to 40% on Arctic LNG 2 deliveries, with the landed cost of Arctic cargoes at Beihai reported to be around $7.00/MMBtu—significantly lower than the prevailing spot prices. However, due to a shortage of ice-class LNG carriers, Russian gas company Novatek faces the prospect of partially halting the Arctic project for the next 6 to 8 months. In light of these challenges, conventional gas tankers can no longer utilize the Arctic shortcut and are now being rerouted via the Suez Canal.

The 'CCH Gas' tanker, suspected of facilitating a Russian export initiative while evading US sanctions, remains under scrutiny as it continues to falsify its position. Recent satellite imagery indicates that the vessel, which has a registered owner based in Hong Kong, claims to be stationary off the eastern coast of Malaysia for an entire week. However, observations from Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites between October 28 and November 2 reveal that the ship was not actually present in that area. Earlier images taken in October showed the 'CCH Gas' in proximity to the 'Perle' tanker, which was transporting LNG fuel from Russia’s Portovaya plant, a site that has been under US sanctions since January. This setting is typically associated with ship-to-ship transfers and raises concerns that the 'CCH Gas' was accepting cargo of sanctioned LNG. The current whereabouts and destination of the 'CCH Gas' remain uncertain, as it seemingly tries to elude detection by Western enforcement agencies.

On October 18, 2025, Russia achieved a significant milestone by performing its first-ever ship-to-ship transfer of liquefied natural gas (LNG), utilizing its shadow fleet tankers 'Perle' (IMO: 9630028) and 'CCH Gas'. This operation signals a new chapter in Russia's strategy to circumvent Western sanctions and enhance its energy export capabilities. The 'Perle' transported LNG from Gazprom's Portovaya LNG plant located in the Baltic Sea, which has been under U.S. sanctions since January 2025. Consequently, Gazprom has struggled to secure foreign buyers for its supercooled gas. The transfer occurred approximately 50 nautical miles off the eastern coast of Malaysia, intended to obscure the cargo's origin and protect the buyer from potential sanctions. For further details and visual documentation, visit: https://gcaptain.com/china-joins-russias-dark-fleet-with-first-ever-lng-ship-to-ship-transfer/