Rare oil tanker voyage via the Northern Sea Route: where is it heading?
The tanker Dakar, which is subject to European Union sanctions, is sailing west along the Russian Northern Sea Route carrying a cargo of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) from China and appears to be bound for Russia, according to Kepler data. The chemical was loaded onto another tanker, Yorik, in China in early August 2026 and transferred to the Dakar off the South Korean city of Yeosu in early September 2026. Russia is currently short of domestic MTBE supplies as a result of attacks on its refineries.
Why it matters: The voyage illustrates the sanctions theme, showing an EU-sanctioned tanker carrying Asian petrochemicals to Russia along an Arctic route.