Arctic Express was one of two new LNG tankers that appeared in Russia’s registry in recent weeks. According to Equasis data, until May 1 the tanker was called Queen Cassiopeia and carried the flag of Sierra Leone.
The other tanker recently added to the registry was Avacha (formerly called T Handan and carried the flag of Panama). The tankers were built in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Both vessels have been re-flagged to Russia.
Several months ago, Russia added four other LNG carriers to its fleet: Orion, Luch, Merkuriy and Kosmos. All were built in 2005–2006, transferred to new owners, and then reflagged to Russia.
Moscow is seeking to diversify its LNG supplies after the European Union’s ban on imports of Russian LNG under short-term contracts took effect on April 25. An EU ban on long-term contracts will come into force on January 1, 2027.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Susan Fenton)