The second new ice-class LNG tanker built in Russia, the "Konstantin Posiet", has left Bolshoi Kamen Bay in Primorsky Krai and set sail on the Northern Sea Route, LSEG data quoted by "Reuters" show.
The ship was built at the "Zvezda" shipyard - one of the most modern shipbuilding enterprises in Russia, and is intended to service the "Arctic LNG 2" project, which is subject to US sanctions.
According to LSEG data, "Konstantin Posiet" should reach its final destination on August 30. It has not yet been specified which port the gas carrier is headed to.
The tanker is of the Arc7 ice class. Ships of this class are designed for operation in harsh Arctic conditions and can overcome ice up to about two meters thick.
"Zvezda" was supposed to build a total of 15 such tankers for "Arctic LNG 2", but Western sanctions led to serious delays in the program. The restrictions made it difficult to access foreign equipment and technologies necessary for the construction of specialized LNG ships.
The first ice-class LNG tanker built in Russia by the "Zvezda" shipyard - "Alexey Kosygin", entered service in December last year.
With "Konstantin Posiet" Russia now has a total of three ice-class LNG tankers, allowing the transportation of liquefied gas along the Northern Sea Route. The Arctic route significantly shortens the distance between Russian LNG terminals and Asian markets compared to the traditional route through the Suez Canal.
The introduction of the new ship is of particular importance for Moscow due to Western sanctions against the Russian energy sector. The restrictions are aimed at hindering the export of Russian energy raw materials and, accordingly, the revenues used by Moscow to finance the war against Ukraine.
"Arctic LNG 2" is one of the key Russian projects for the production of liquefied natural gas in the Arctic, but its development and export were seriously hampered by US sanctions. Having its own fleet of ice-class LNG tankers is necessary for the year-round transportation of production from Russian Arctic deposits.