Vladimir Rusanov Opens Northern Sea Route

Russian natural gas producer Novatek announced that the Arc7 ice-class LNG tanker 'Vladimir Rusanov' completed the Northern Sea Route (NSR) passage via the Eastern direction, delivering an LNG cargo from the Yamal LNG project, at the port of Sabetta, to China's port of Tianjin.

The 168,560 cbm vessel shipped transited the ice-covered part of the route in only 6days, setting a new record for independent passage via the NSR without ice-breaking support with cargo on board.

The net voyage time from Sabetta to the destination port was completed in a record 16 days, which is less than half the time required to transport a cargo of LNG along the traditional westbound route via the Suez Canal and Strait of Malacca.

"For the second year in a row, our Arc7 ice-class LNG tankers were once again the first ships to open the summer navigation period via the Northern Sea Route,” said First Deputy Chairman of the Management Board Lev Feodosyev.

“This voyage set a number of records for the passage time of the ice part of the NSR, and for the total voyage time to China from the Russian Arctic region. These achievements were made possible due to the accumulated ice navigation experience and the outstanding ice performance characteristics of LNG tanker fleet designed specifically for our Yamal LNG project. We will continue to optimize our logistical model to ensure competitive LNG supplies to key global consuming markets,” Lev added.

PAO Novatek is the largest independent natural gas producer in Russia, and in 2017, entered the global gas market by successfully launching the Yamal LNG project.