HOUSTON, July 18 (Reuters) – British oil firm BP Plc has chartered a foreign-flagged vessel to move Alaskan crude, the corporate stated on Monday, the most recent signal that producers of Alaskan North Slope, or ANS, crude are eyeing new markets.

ANS is usually transported to the U.S. West Coast on U.S.-flagged vessels owned by BP, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil. Two shipments have left U.S. ports this yr for locations in Japan and Nicaragua, however ANS exports stay uncommon due to the excessive delivery prices from Alaska.

BP spokeswoman Dawn Patience stated in an electronic mail that the corporate had chartered Tianlong Spirit, a Bahamas-flagged Suezmax vessel, for industrial and operational causes. She declined to specify the vacation spot for the crude and stated the vessel would sail after BP receives approvals from the state of Alaska and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Two commerce sources, who weren’t approved to talk publicly concerning the matter, stated the cargo would sail to Asia.

Reuters Vessel Tracking knowledge confirmed the ship was off the coast of Baja California on Monday.

ANS had been exempted from a decades-long U.S. ban on crude exports which was lifted late final yr. (Reporting by Liz Hampton; Editing by Peter Cooney and Richard Chang)

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