China refused to refuel a large Russian ship. Its owner is under British sanctions

The container ship Moskva, owned by the Fesco transport group, was refused service at the Chinese port – it could not refuel with fuel and motor oils.

The refusal to bunker the vessel may be due to the fact that the parent company Fesco is under British sanctions – China has recently become more stringent about compliance with Western restrictions and is limiting transactions with Russian business.

A “rescue operation” will be required to return Moskva

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fesco Andrey Severilov added that the company is solving the problem and hopes that this will be an isolated incident related to the celebration of the Chinese New Year.

At the same time, he explained that for this it would be necessary to carry out, in fact, a rescue operation – “to throw a bunker there, because none of the large Chinese companies do bunkering, because the Russian beneficiary.”

Severilov expressed the opinion is that such a problem would not have arisen if Russian transport and logistics centers existed abroad. Thanks to them, it would be possible to ensure the safety of logistics processes.

First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Svetlana Zhurova suggested that it was not a Chinese company that could have refused service, but a joint or foreign company. “You need to know the nuances. We need to clarify,” the deputy responded.

China could once again be afraid of Western sanctions

In May 2023, the UK imposed sanctions against PJSC Far Eastern Shipping Company, the parent company of the Fesco transport group. The reason given was the alleged provision of services that “could contribute to destabilizing Ukraine or undermining its territorial integrity.”

Back in February 2022, on the eve of the start of the SVO, other Fesco container ships, Magadan and Moneron, fell under American sanctions.

China has recently increasingly refused deals with Russian businesses. Thus, some Chinese banks began to return payments from Russia amid concerns about secondary Western sanctions. The risk group primarily includes transactions with sanctioned goods, such as metals and computer components.

The most important for Russian importers, Chouzhou Commercial Bank, previously suspended all operations with Russia. The reason for this decision may be fears of Western sanctions. At least several deals have already fallen through because of this.

At the end of December, US President Joe Biden allowed the Ministry of Finance to simplify the punishment of banks that violate sanctions against Russia. After this, banks even from friendly countries tightened their policies towards Russian clients.

Moskva has been working for the Fesco group for almost a year

As noted by RBC, the Fesco transport group is one of the largest transport and logistics companies in Russia, engaged in sea and rail transportation. The group, among other assets, owns the Vladivostok Sea Commercial Port. It has terminal complexes in Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk, Tomsk and Vladivostok.

The container ship Moskva joined the group's fleet in April 2023. He have worked on the foreign trade Deep Sea between the ports of China and St. Petersburg. The dimensions of the vessel are 172 meters long and 32.2 meters wide. The container ship is operated by a crew of 19 people.