A long range (LR2) vessel carrying diesel/gasoil from the Latvian port of Ventspils is signalling a destination in the Mediterranean region, in what would be a more irregular journey should it deliver there.

The LR2 Minerva Pisces departed from the Baltic Ventspils port on 28 February and is in transit signalling its destination as Barcelona, with forecasted arrival around 10 March, Vortexa data shows.

A provisional shipping fixture listed trading firm Vitol as chartering this vessel to load ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) from a Baltic port on 15-20 February, for discharge in UK-Continent.

That said, the same vessel in late January departed from Ventspils with diesel/gasoil and initially headed to Gibraltar, before eventually discharging its cargo in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) region in mid-February.

The port of Ventspils handles oil products from Former Soviet Union countries and is supplied by pipeline and rail. Other larger-sized diesel/gasoil shipments from Ventspils mostly delivered to northwest Europe and the Scandinavian region last year. The shipment of larger-sized vessels from ports in the Baltic region to southern European destinations is more unusual.

Baltic volumes head to Mohammedia

 At least one LR2 shipment of diesel/gasoil last month did move to a Mediterranean destination, when the SKS Dokka loaded from Ventspils on 14 February and arrived in Mohammedia, Morocco on 23 February.

In recent months Mohammedia terminal has increased its intake of diesel/gasoil from various Baltic ports, taking relatively regular supplies from the region since October. This comes as a more recent key supplier, the US Gulf coast, has in the past few months sent higher volumes to Mexico and Latin America.

Production at Morocco’s 200,000 b/d Samir refinery in Mohammedia has been halted since 2015 due to a deep financial crisis.