Russian ghost ship in Malaysian waters highlights Moscow's new route to deliver gas to Asia

Satellite images show US-sanctioned Russian tanker Perle, its transponders turned off for months, alongside another vessel 90 km off the east coast of Malaysia, in a likely ship-to-ship operation. According to Bloomberg, this is the first documented case of liquefied natural gas transfer. Russia’s energy strategy is turning towards Asia. The Arctic LNG 2 project has started to deliver gas to China.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) – A Russian tanker under international sanctions has appeared off the east coast of Malaysia, where it is believed to have carried out an offshore transfer of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

This unusual and risky operation reveals Moscow’s growing sophistication in trying to circumvent Western restrictions.

Satellite images taken on Saturday show the Perle, a vessel sanctioned by the United States earlier this year, alongside another vessel approximately 90 kilometres east of the Malay Peninsula, according to Sentinel-2 satellite data and earlier ship-tracking records.

Based on this information, the formation is typical of a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer, a manoeuvre often used by “dark fleet” vessels to move sanctioned cargoes while masking their true origins and destinations.

While such transfers are common for crude oil, they are technically challenging and highly unusual for LNG, which requires specialised cryogenic containers to maintain the temperature at -160 degrees Celsius.

Bloomberg analysis suggests this may be the first documented case of Russian LNG transfer in Malaysian waters, underscoring the increasingly circuitous routes Russia is taking to move its energy exports to Asia.

The vessel reportedly loaded its LNG cargo from the Portovaya plant on Russia’s Baltic coast as early as February, according to data from analytics firm Kpler. It then remained idle for months before setting sail in July, rounding the Cape of Good Hope en route to Asia.

The Portovaya facility has not exported since it was blacklisted by Washington in January, making this voyage likely the first eastbound shipment from the plant in nearly a year.

After departing Russian waters, the Perle ceased transmitting its location. The identity of the receiving vessel remains unknown.

In recent months, Russia has intensified its attempts to attract new energy buyers in Asia, while Western sanctions continue to reduce its revenues from fossil fuel sales.

Another sanctioned project, Arctic LNG 2, began delivering gas to China in late August, during President Vladimir Putin's visit to Beijing.

The Perle is managed by Dreamer Shipmanagement LLC-FZ, a company that lists its registered address at the Meydan Hotel in Dubai, according to the shipping database Equasis. The same address is reportedly shared by several firms that have helped Russia assemble its “shadow fleet”.

Dreamer Shipmanagement has no publicly listed contact details, and the Meydan Hotel did not respond to requests for queries from international media.

The Perle’s transmitters are still turned off, so its location remains unknown.

• malaysia
• russia
• united states
• sanctions
• war
• oil
• lng
• shadow
• dark fleet
• ghost ships
• perle