Another Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project has arrived at a Chinese port, according to Reuters on September 6.
The vessel, sailing under the Russian flag with a cargo of about 150,000 cubic meters of LNG, was loaded on July 19 at the Arctic LNG 2 facility in Gydan, northern Siberia. It is currently anchored near the LNG terminal in Tieshan, Guangxi province.
This marks the second recent shipment from the sanctioned project to reach China. At the end of August, the Arctic Mulan tanker discharged LNG at the Beihai terminal. Both ships are part of Russia’s shadow fleet that operates outside Western regulatory frameworks.
According to Reuters, Arctic LNG 2 — in which Russian company Novatek holds a 60 percent stake — was designed to be one of Russia’s largest LNG plants, with an annual capacity of 19.8 million metric tons.
However, Western sanctions and a shortage of ice-class carriers have disrupted operations, limiting output and delaying shipments.
Data from LSEG cited by Reuters indicates that two additional Russian LNG tankers are currently docked at Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East, while another is positioned in the South China Sea between Taiwan and Hainan.
The project began production in December 2023, but exports have fallen short of initial plans. Last year, Arctic LNG 2 dispatched eight cargoes on sanctioned carriers, half of which were offloaded in Russia’s Koryak region rather than at international markets.
Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin met in Beijing on September 2, where they pledged to resolve tariff disputes “in a constructive spirit” while reaffirming their strategic partnership, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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