- A sanctioned Russian ship reportedly moved cargo during a blackout at a South African port.
- The government declined to say what was in the cargo that was moved last month.
A sanctioned Russian merchant ship known as the the Lady R moved cargo during two nights of darkness at a navy base in South Africa and officials won't say what was unloaded, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing witness reports, photos, and information from a senior US official.
The Wall Street Journal reported that for two nights in December, during nationwide power cuts, a large crane moved cargo off and onto the ship at Simon's Town Naval Base, near Cape Town.
Local South African government officials have declined to reveal what was in the cargo and what was being unloaded at the port.
The Wall Street Journal reported that South Africa's defense minister told the paper that Washington "threatens Africa, not just South Africa, of having anything that is even smelling of Russia."
"There is no publicly available information on the source of the containers that were loaded onto the Lady R," a US official also told the Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the ship — whose company MG-FLOT, which was previously known as Transmorflot LLC, has been accused by the US of transporting Russian arms and weapons — turned off its transponder, which tracks its location, upon docking at Simon's Town last month.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the ship's locator was turned on again two days later when it was 100 miles east of Simon's Town.
The US sanctioned the Lady R on May 8, 2022, when the ship's company was using the name Transmorflot LLC, according to the Department of the Treasury.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the US government alerted South Africa that the ship was under US sanctions when trackers showed it was headed toward the country in November but the US never got a response from South Africa about its warning.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine last February, the US has issued several sanctions on Russian individuals and entities, including ships thought to be aiding Russia in its war or that belong to sanctioned Russian billionaires.
The US also sanctioned Russian oil last year, causing major price drops for the export, and banned imports of Russian gold.