Gazprom, the Russian energy giant, recently completed its inaugural delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) via the Arctic Northern Sea Route to China. This journey began a month ago and marks a significant milestone for Gazprom. The Northern Sea Route, which stretches from Murmansk near Russia’s border with Norway to the Bering Strait near Alaska, has long been seen as an alternative to the Suez Canal by Russia. Despite its physical challenges, this route has the potential to reduce sea transport times between Europe and Asia, especially as Russia’s trade with Western countries has declined since the conflict in Ukraine.
On August 14, the Velikiy Novgorod tanker was loaded with LNG from the Portovaya LNG plant on the Baltic Sea. After successfully delivering 100 million cubic meters of LNG cargo, it is currently moored near the terminal of Tangshan Caofeidian in Hebei province, China. This marks the first time that Gazprom has utilized the Northern Sea Route for LNG delivery, a move that significantly shortens the time required for shipments to reach the Asia-Pacific region.
According to IAA PortNews, the Velikiy Novgorod LNG tanker departed for China in mid-August 2023 and arrived at the port of Tangshan on September 14. The tanker carried approximately 100 million cubic meters of liquefied gas from the Portovaya CS on the Baltic Sea.
Gazprom’s complex for LNG production, storage, and shipment near the Portovaya CS was launched in September 2022. In May 2023, the facility achieved a significant milestone by producing its first million tons of LNG. The Complex has a design capacity of 1.5 million tons of LNG per year.
(Source: Energy Intelligence/TAAS/RT)