Kpler: Russia sends four Yamal cargoes through Northern Sea Route 

Arc-7 ice-breaking LNG tanker Eduard Toll has delivered Russia’s first LNG cargo of the year to transit the Northern Sea Route, according to Kpler.

The vessel went "from the Yamal LNG plant in Russia to the Fujian terminal in China via the Northern Sea Route (NSR), marking the first LNG delivery this year through the NSR," the analyst firm posted on social media outlet X.

"Three other Arc-7 LNG tankers – Christophe de Margerie, Fedor Litke and Boris Davydov – are also en route to Asia via the NSR, underscoring the route’s strategic importance, especially amid new EU sanctions on Russian LNG transhipping," Kpler said.

Kpler data shows Yamal shipped 10.77M tonnes of LNG in the first half of this year, with 83% to Europe and 17% to Asia. 

The Siberia-based Yamal LNG plant sends cargoes mainly to Europe and Asia and has so far not faced United States sanctions in response to Russia’s war against neighbour Ukraine. Novatek operates the plant while aiming to finalise the Arctic LNG 2 project. 

In January 2024, Novatek had to issue force majeure notices to some customers who had been contracted to lift LNG form the project.

The notifications were issued after the United States imposed sanctions on the Arctic LNG 2 project in late 2023. Novatek reportedly received a forece majeure notice from the three-train Arctic LNG 2 project in late November, which said the facility was unable to fulfil its production and delivery obligations due to the sanctions which have also led to a shortage of LNG vessels for loadings. 

Novatek has a 60% operating stake in Arctic LNG 2, which would give the company 11.88M tonnes per year of supply across three trains.

Novatek buyers whose contracts specified offtake from Arctic LNG 2 include Shell, Vitol, Repsol, Gunvor and China’s ENN, Zheijang Energy and Shenergy. 

Novatek also has a deal with Japan’s JERA Global Markets for six Arctic LNG 2 cargoes, with deliveries expected to start in 2024.