Seven large LNG carriers built in 2005 and 2006 have changed hands since the Strait of Hormuz disruption tightened global LNG supply, Splash247 reports.
The latest deal involves the 145,000 cubic meter Methane Rita Andrea, sold by GasLog for around $30 million to Chinese-linked Rising Universe Shipping and renamed Grand Reach under a Hong Kong flag.
In April, four similar-vintage LNG carriers previously managed by Oman Ship Management reflagged to Russia under new ownership structures, with one ship later spotted near the sanctioned floating storage unit Saam off the Kola Peninsula.
Brokers say the transactions show classic shadow-fleet patterns — older tonnage and opaque buyers — as Russia keeps marketing sanctioned LNG cargoes at steep discounts.
The trend underscores how the Hormuz crisis is pulling aging vessels back into active trade and rerouting global LNG flows.