A fourth liquefied natural gas tanker under U.S. sanctions—the Christophe de Margerie—berthed at Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 terminal on 9 August, ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG show. The call marks the first loading at the Novatek-led project since October and follows earlier visits this year by three other black-listed vessels, Iris, Voskhod and Zarya, underscoring Moscow’s ability to keep export channels open despite Western curbs tied to the war in Ukraine. Arctic LNG 2 is designed to produce 19.8 million tonnes of LNG annually, but financing and offtake contracts have been disrupted by sanctions. The continued turn-round of restricted tankers highlights the limited reach of U.S. measures, which can expose counterparties to penalties yet have not halted liftings from the remote Yamal peninsula facility. Parallel to the LNG trade, Russia’s crude shipments remain resilient. Seaborne exports averaged 3.11 million barrels a day in the four weeks to 10 August, according to Bloomberg tanker-tracking, only marginally below the prior period and well within this year’s range. Brent traded near $66 a barrel on Monday, holding last week’s 5 percent drop as traders await geopolitical signals. Attention is now turning to Friday’s meeting in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, where a prospective cease-fire in Ukraine and the scope of energy sanctions are expected to feature. Indian state refiners, wary of tightening rules and potential U.S. tariffs, have locked in term contracts with alternative suppliers, while privately held Nayara Energy is set to receive its lowest monthly crude allotment on record. Nayara has also dispatched a diesel cargo to China, the first Indian fuel shipment on that route since 2021.