The gas carrier Fedor Litke could become the first tanker to unload Russian LNG directly in Germany, but the German government has banned state-owned terminals from receiving gas from Russia. The country's authorities preferred to continue importing Yamal LNG in a roundabout way so as not to disturb the anti-Russian public.
The Fyodor Litke tanker unloaded a shipment of Yamal LNG (up to 100 million cubic meters of gas) in Dunkirk, France, on November 18. According to AIS vessels, the gas carrier is already returning back to Yamal LNG and is sailing along the coast of Norway.
Initially, the gas carrier was supposed to make its flight to Germany, becoming the first tanker to deliver Russian LNG there. As reported by The Financial Times, the unloading of fuel from Russia was expected on November 17 at the state terminal in Brunsbuttel. But the operator Deutsche Energy Terminal informed the German government about this, and the country's Ministry of Economy instructed the state-owned company not to accept cargo from Russia.
The order was adopted to protect the "public interest" and recommended that the operator "reject LNG supplies from Russia until further notice," wrote The Financial Times.
The most likely cargo could be an LNG shipment on the Fyodor Litke tanker. The ship indicated the time of arrival at an unknown destination port in Europe on November 16. And after the reports of the failure, it slowed down off the coast of Norway and maneuvered for some time. Obviously, the cargo owner decided on an alternative terminal, which became the French Dunkirk.
Deliveries of Russian pipeline gas to Germany stopped at the end of August 2022, when Nord Stream stopped due to sanctions for the repair of turbines of the compressor station. But LNG imports continued. Probably, the German authorities decided to ban direct entry, fearing the reaction of the anti-Russian public, as Russian LNG continues to enter Germany through terminals in neighboring countries, including France.
Gazprom Germania, which was nationalized by Berlin in April 2022 and renamed SEFE, inherited from Gazprom a long-term contract with Yamal LNG for the supply of 2.9 million tons (4 billion cubic meters) per year. Initially, they were planned to be supplied to India, but after the energy crisis in 2022, most of the volumes remain in Europe, including Germany. The Russian government has granted exemptions from sanctions so that the German company can continue importing Yamal LNG.
French Dunkirk is one of the main terminals in the EU for receiving Yamal LNG. On the one hand, the local energy giant TotalEnergies continues to be a participant in the project. On the other hand, last year at the Handelsblatt Energy Summit conference, the managing director of the German SEFE, Egbert Lage, told Reuters that the company had retained reservations at the Dunkirk terminal for 3.5 billion cubic meters per year.
According to AIS ships, in November, three cargoes have already been delivered to Dunkirk from Russia — up to 300 million cubic meters. In addition to the tanker "Fedor Litke", gas carriers "Vladimir Visa" and Clean Planet entered the French terminal.