The sanctioned Russian cargo vessel Mikhail Britnev (IMO: 9081370) arrived at the port of Lomé in Togo after departing from Arkhangelsk, with a stop in Kaliningrad en route. During the voyage, the vessel was escorted by a Russian Navy large landing ship, raising the possibility that Lomé could become a new Russian logistics gateway to the Sahel region amid strikes on Africa Corps positions in Mali.
The Mikhail Britnev is a 136-meter-long general cargo vessel with a deadweight of 12,700 tons. With five cargo holds and a reinforced structure for heavy loads, it is equipped to carry standard and refrigerated containers. Its Ice Class 1A rating allows the cargo ship to operate on Arctic routes.
According to data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the Mikhail Britnev departed from the port of Arkhangelsk on June 3 and called at the port of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad Region on June 11. En route, the crew reported that the vessel’s draft had increased to 6.7 meters (indicating partial loading). The ship remained in Kaliningrad for a week without unloading (according to data transmitted by the crew).
The route of the vessel Mikhail Britnev from Russian ports to the port of Lomé in Togo. The dashed line appears when the vessel disables its AIS. The actual route is shown schematically with arrows.
