Expanding Russian tanker fleet exports more Arctic LNG to China
Russian natural gas company Novatek and its partners now have a fleet of 18 tankers serving the heavily sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project.
As the sea ice in the Arctic shrinks to its lowest level of the year, shipments of sanctioned liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the Northern Sea Route are reaching a historic high.
A significant number of the ships now traversing the route are connected with the Arctic LNG 2 project.
Novatek’s natural gas plant on the eastern shore of the Ob Bay has been under international sanctions since 2023. Connected infrastructure, such as the Saam FSU, as well as LNG carriers, are also subject to sanctions.
Nevertheless, Novatek and its partners are increasing production and export from the project.
A fleet of at least 18 gas carriers now serves Arctic LNG 2. Among the vessels are Novatek’s own Aleksey Kosygin (IMO 9904546) and Konstantin Posiet (IMO 9904704), as well as the Christophe de Margerie (IMO 9737187). In addition, there is a series of carriers involved in shipments from the Saam FSU in Ura Bay on the Kola Peninsula and the Koryak FSU in Bechevinskaya Bay on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
According to Reuters, tankers have exported 2,3 million tonnes of LNG from Arctic LNG 2 to the Chinese port of Benhai so far in 2026. A total of 31 shipments have been made. Among the carriers involved are the Voskhod (IMO 9953511), Arctic Pioneer (IMO 9256602), Arctic Vostok (IMO 9216298), Zarya (IMO 9953535), Arctic Mulan (IMO 9864837), La Pérouse (IMO 9849887), Buran (IMO 9953509), and Arctic Metagaz (IMO 9243148).
The latter was demolished in a drone attack in the Mediterranean in March 2026.
In addition, at least six more carriers have recently been acquired. According to TradeWinds, the Merkuriy, Luch, Kosmos, Orion, Arctic Express (IMO 9333591), Chaivo (IMO 9331048), and Avacha (IMO 9319404) are now serving Russian business interests.
Several of them have loaded LNG in the waters outside the Kola Peninsula in 2026. The Avacha was part of a transshipment at the Saam FSU in mid-August.
While the latest acquisitions are ageing ships, about 20 years old, Novatek is also in the process of building several new carriers. The Aleksey Kosygin (IMO 9904546) and Konstantin Posiet (IMO 9904704) were commissioned at the Zvezda Yard in Russia’s Far East in 2025 and 2026. Another two carriers, the Sergey Witte and Viktor Chernomyrdin, are expected to be commissioned in 2026 or 2027.
In addition to the Arctic LNG 2 project, Novatek operates the Yamal LNG, which is not yet subject to sanctions. However, it will still be affected by the EU’s full ban on Russian LNG, which is to come into force on 1 January 2027.
The EU ban will result in a further increase in Russian Arctic LNG exports to China. The two countries have already signed a bilateral protocol to expand cooperation in the Yamal LNG.
