Novatek Ships 1st LNG Cargo to China via Northern Sea Route

Russian gas company PAO Novatek has shipped its first cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Yamal LNG project to China via the Northern Sea Route.

To commemorate the occasion, the arrival of LNG carriers Vladimir Rusanov and Eduard Toll was celebrated in the Chinese port of Jiangsu Rudong.

The two ships took 19 days to complete their voyage from the port of Sabetta through the Northern Sea Route to the destination port, considerably cut when compared to 35 days for the traditional eastern route via the Suez Canal and the Strait of Malacca, Novatek said.

“This voyage begins a new era of Russian LNG shipments to meet the growing natural gas demands of the Asian-Pacific markets using the Northern Sea Route of the Arctic Ocean,”  Leonid Mickhelson, Chairman of Novatek’s Management Board, said.

“The Northern Sea Route ensures shorter transportation time and lower costs, which plays a key role in developing our hydrocarbon fields on the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas. Our vast high-quality, conventional natural gas resource base combined with low capital intensity and operation and transportation costs positions Novatek’s LNG projects among the most competitive projects globally.”

Novatek commenced shipping via the Northern Sea Route in 2010 carrying liquid hydrocarbons by high-tonnage tankers to the Asian-Pacific countries.

Now, the company is shipping Russian LNG along the route with its purpose-built LNG-carriers, which are able to cross the Russian Arctic region without the escort of an ice-breaker.