China brought equipment for sanctioned Russian LNG

Two heavy cargo vessels arrived from China near Murmansk. They delivered modules for the third stage of Arctic LNG—2. The project under sanctions continues to supply all gas to China and is expanding.

"Two vessels carrying key modules for the Russian Arctic LNG-2 project have arrived at the Novatek shipyard in Belokamenka after almost two and a half months of travel from eastern China. This was the clearest evidence that work on the long—suspended third production line of the project can resume, despite Western sanctions," gCaptain writes.

The publication refers to satellite images of Planet Labs that Glory Ocean and Bright Ocean are moored at the Novatek plant in Belokamenka near Murmansk. Gravity platforms for the second Arctic project are being assembled there at the Novatek center, and two of them are already operating on the Gdynia peninsula.

gCaptain data on the arrival of heavy cargo vessels confirm the AIS data of vessels.

As the newspaper notes, the module on board Glory is unloaded directly next to the platform intended for the third production line of Arctic LNG-2.

"This arrangement suggests that Novatek may be preparing to install the module directly on the gravity structure, potentially resuming assembly work that was largely suspended in July 2024 after Western sanctions disrupted equipment supplies and financing," gCaptain continues.

According to him, two additional modules of pipeline overpasses, TMR-003 and TMR-004, still remain at the former Wison Offshore shipyard in Zhoushan. She is now working under new management after the shipyard itself came under sanctions because of Arctic LNG—2.

The heavy cargo vessels themselves are also under sanctions. However, we were able to successfully complete flights from China to Russia.

As EADaily reported, since December 2023, two stages of the project with a total capacity of 19.8 million tons have been commissioned at Arctic LNG —2. At the same time, due to sanctions, shipment to consumers began only last summer. All LNG goes to the Beihai terminal in southern China.

At the same time, the pace of deliveries is growing, as the project's fleet has recently been replenished with four additional conventional LNG tankers. Also, the second ice-class arc7 gas carrier assembled in Russia left the Zvezda shipyard in the Far East in early July. The vessel will join the export of sanctioned LNG from Russia.