An Arc7 LNG carrier is lining up to make a first voyage through the Arctic’s Northern Sea Route in February while a sistership looks set to return to Russia via the Suez Canal.
Kpler data shows Sovcomflot (SCF Group)’s 172,600-cbm Christophe de Margerie (built 2017) as heading towards the Bering Sea on Monday. The vessel is signalling that it is scheduled to arrive at Yamal LNG’s Sabetta terminal on 17 February.
TradeWinds understands that the ship will take the Northerm Sea Route westbound in ballast accompanied by the Russian nuclear icebreaker the 23,439-gt 50 Let Pobedy (built 2007).
This would be the first time an LNG carrier has navigated through this Arctic route during February.
The voyage by the Yamal LNG flagship is seen as part of Russia’s plans to trial winter shipments on the Arctic route this year.
The Christophe de Margerie shipped a cargo through the Northern Sea Route in January, discharging it at China’s Rudong LNG terminal at the end of January.
The Northern Sea Rote has previously been closed to shipping from December through to July. But in 2020 Russia began extending the navigational period by sending two LNG ships through the Arctic sea route in May.
In contrast, the 172,600-cbm sistership Nikolay Yevgenov (built 2019), which also took a cargo through the route last month by making use of the ice channel cut by the Sovcomflot vessel, is expected to take the longer return route to Russia via the Suez Canal.
The Nikolay Yevgenov discharged its cargo at Pyeongtaek in South Korea on 27 January.
The ship, which is controlled by Teekay and China LNG Shipping Holdings, sustained damage to its central 15-MW azipod during its Northern Sea Route voyage but continued on without assistance.
Both vessels, which along with 13 others are on long-term charter to Yamal Trade, are designed to be capable of breaking 2.1-metre thick ice.
Nikolay Yevgenov is currently due to arrive off Singapore on 5 February.
The two ice-breaking LNG carriers took 11 days to navigate the NSR part of their voyages in January.
Yamal LNG’s lead sharehold Novatek has said that using the NSR reduces the distance to its markets in Asia by over 50%.
The company said hipping cargoes via the Suez Canal takes between 36 and 38 days compared to around 18 days via the Northern Sea Route.
Russia is aiming to open up the Arctic to year-round navigation from 2024.
