Record level
The company “Novatek” and its partners are expanding the fleet of gas tankers serving the sanctions-restricted “Arctic LNG 2” project. As sea ice decreases, the transportation of Russian LNG affected by sanctions via the Northern Sea Route has reached a record level, writes “The Barents Observer”.
According to “Reuters”, since the beginning of 2026, 2.3 million tons of LNG have been shipped from “Arctic LNG 2” to the port of Beihai in China – a total of 31 shipments. Gas transportation involved, among others, the gas tankers “Voschod”, “Arctic Pioneer”, “Arctic Vostok”, “Zaria”, “Arctic Mulan”, “La Pérouse”, “Buran” and “Arctic Metagaz”. The latter caught fire in March and was taken out of service after a drone attack in the Mediterranean Sea.
Sanctions applied
The “Arctic LNG 2” project itself has been restricted by international sanctions since 2023. Restrictions also apply to part of its infrastructure and the vessels servicing the project. Despite this, “Novatek” and its partners continue to increase production and exports.
Currently, at least 18 gas tankers are involved in shipments, including the new “Aleksej Kosygin” and “Konstantin Posiet”, built at Russia’s “Zvezda” shipyard, as well as “Christophe de Margerie”. Part of the fleet is used to transport LNG via floating storage units “Saam” near the Kola Peninsula and “Koriak” in Kamchatka.
Additionally, several more gas tankers have recently been acquired for Russian shipments, mostly about 20 years old. “TradeWinds” includes “Merkurij”, “Luch”, “Kosmos”, “Orion”, “Arctic Express”, “Chaivo” and “Avacha” among them. Some of these have already participated in LNG operations near the Kola Peninsula.
Preparing for the EU ban from 2027
Moreover, Russia continues to build new ships. Two more gas tankers – “Sergej Witte” and “Viktor Černomyrdin” – are planned to enter service in 2026-2027.
“The Barents Observer” expects further growth in Russian Arctic LNG supplies to China once the full EU ban on Russian LNG, scheduled from January 1, 2027, comes into effect. The restrictions will also affect “Jamal LNG”, which currently, unlike “Arctic LNG 2”, is not restricted by sanctions.
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