China’s Beihai Terminal Receives 7th LNG Shipment From Sanctioned Russian Project

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker carrying cargo from Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project berthed at China’s Beihai LNG terminal on Tuesday, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG.

If discharged, this shipment would mark the seventh sanctioned cargo received at the terminal from the project, which is under sanctions due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The tanker, named Arctic Vostok, loaded LNG from a storage facility in Kamchatka, in Russia’s Far East, on August 30, before heading to China’s Beihai LNG terminal in the Guangxi region.

LSEG data showed the cargo was officially loaded on September 6. The Kamchatka storage facility has reportedly received cargoes exclusively from the Arctic LNG 2 project.

According to shipping records in Equasis, Arctic Vostok is commercially managed by SMP Techmanagement, with Lule One Services as its registered owner. PipeChina, the operator of the Beihai LNG terminal, did not respond to requests for comment.

Arctic LNG 2, which is 60% owned by Russia’s Novatek, has continued exporting LNG since last year despite sanctions. Deliveries have been directed to two storage facilities in Russia and to China’s Beihai LNG terminal.

Recent shipments from Arctic LNG 2 continue to travel along varied routes. Two vessels, Christophe De Margerie and Voskhod LNG, carrying LNG from the facility in Gydan, northern Siberia, are now sailing eastward through the Northern Sea Route.

Another sanctioned vessel, La Perouse, which loaded 150,000 cubic meters of LNG from the project, travelled south past Europe and Africa, moving through the Indian Ocean, and is now en route to the Bay of Bengal, according to Kpler and LSEG data.

Additionally, another sanctioned tanker, Arctic Metagaz, carrying LNG from Arctic LNG 2, is currently near China’s Beihai LNG terminal. It loaded cargo from a floating storage facility in Murmansk, northwest Russia, on July 17. This Murmansk facility is also reported to handle cargo exclusively from the Arctic LNG 2 project.

Reference: Reuters

Source: Maritime Shipping News