Product tanker owners trading in sanctioned Russian oil will be earning bumper profits, new trading patterns suggest.

The ban imposed by European countries on Russian imports from 5 February has seen diesel cargoes on MR tankers head to markets further afield in West Africa, South America and South East Asia, said data analyst Vortexa.

They are discharging the oil and returning to the Baltic on long ballast legs from countries such as Brazil, according to data.