Oil Cargo to Philippines Identified as Russian, Not Iranian, Amid Geopolitical Tensions
A recent shipment of oil to the Philippines, initially identified as Iranian, has been confirmed to originate from Russia, according to shiptracking firm Kpler. The Suezmax tanker Ocean Start delivered the cargo to Petron's Bataan refinery on May 17. Kpler's revised data indicates that the oil was transferred ship-to-ship in Singaporean waters from the Suezmax ship Caruzo, which had loaded the crude at Russia's Sheskharis terminal in late March. This correction follows previous reports that the oil was sourced from Iran's Kharg Island. Another analytics firm, Vortexa, maintains that the cargo is Iranian, delivered via a transfer from the tanker Noxen. The Trump administration had previously issued a 30-day waiver on sanctions for Iranian oil purchases to stabilize prices after tensions with Iran. The Philippines, heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil, also received a U.S. waiver to purchase Russian oil. 
