PetroChina has diverted the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) 'Front Kathrine' to Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates after discharging just above half its crude cargo in China, according to shipbrokers and AIS tracking data.

The Chinese oil major is also in talks to divert more VLCCs carrying Middle Eastern crude from fire-hit Dalian port to Sinopec which operates refineries in eastern and southern China, trade sources said on Friday.

Pipeline explosions shut the northeastern China port and spilled oil into the sea, forcing PetroChina to move its crude elsewhere.

PetroChina had fixed 'Front Kathrine' to load crude oil in the Middle East on June 17 and it was supposed to arrive in Dalian earlier this month, AIS tracking data on Reuters Freight View showed.

In the past two days, the vessel was spotted near Qingdao in eastern China, but on Friday it changed its destination to Fujairah, AIS tracking data on Reuters Freight View showed.

Its draft has also fallen to 11 metres, indicating that more than half of its cargo has been unloaded, the data showed.

The company first diverted VLCC 'Mogamigawa' to discharge part of its cargo in South Korea and the vessel is on its way back to Dalian.-Reuters