Another ship-to-ship transfer of Forties crude is underway in Scapa Flow, Scotland, the Orkney Islands Council Department of Harbours said late Sunday.

The transfer of 2 million barrels of Forties from the very large crude carrier Leander to the VLCC Front Shanghai started Sunday and is scheduled to be completed by late evening on May 20, a statement posted on the council's Web site said.

The Leander, chartered by Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA) as floating storage, was moored off Southwold, eastern England, for nearly five months. Front Shanghai is chartered by Arcadia Resources Inc. (KAD), traders said.

The final destination of the Front Shanghai is unclear, but the Leander is expected to head to Hound Point to load Forties May 24-25 as BP PLC (BP) has chartered it to sail to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, traders said.

"Upon completion of this transfer, the total number of barrels of crude transferred through ship-to-ship transfers in Scapa Flow in 2009 will reach 10 million barrels," the council said.

Three VLCCs are currently moored in Scapa Flow. The Abqaiq and Maersk Neptune, loaded with Forties crude, were booked by Vitol Holding B.V., while the Bunga Kasturi Dua is chartered by ConocoPhillips (COP) to store Ekofisk, traders said.

-By Sherry Su, Dow Jones Newswires; +44(0)20-7842-9329; sherry.su@dowjones.com