The Arctic tanker of ice class Arc7 “Christophe de Margerie” with a cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) on Saturday, January 16, completed the transition from Yamal to the Bering Strait along the Northern Sea Route. This was reported by RBC with reference to the press services of Novatek and Sovcomflot. The first company controls the Yamal LNG plant, while the second owns a tanker.
A fundamentally new aspect of this transition was that it was completed in January without an icebreaker. This route allows gas to be sold significantly more profitably, as it is 40 percent faster than through the Suez Canal.
The LNG cargo is intended for the Asian market, where prices have skyrocketed recently. The first gas carrier is followed by the same type vessel “Nikolay Evgenov”. Together they will supply about 140 thousand tons of LNG to the region.
Where exactly the deliveries are going is not specified. The duration of the route from the port of Sabetta on Yamal to Cape Dezhnev (the end of the Northern Sea Route) was 10 days and 21 hours. This speed is sufficient for efficient delivery.
The dispatch of two vessels without icebreaker escort was previously reported by the media. At the same time, one of the traders, who commented on the messages, indicated that gas carriers carry fuel under long-term contracts. Thus, in an attempt to capitalize on the rise in short-term prices, he argues, the current supply is not connected.