Russian LNG cargo reaches China after nearly six months at sea

The LNG carrier Perle has delivered a cargo of liquefied natural gas from Russia to China after almost six months at sea.

Source: Reuters, citing LSEG vessel-tracking data

Details: The vessel docked at the Beihai LNG terminal on 19 May, although it picked up the cargo from Russia's Portovaya plant on 8 December.

LNG deliveries from Russia to Asia usually take up to 45 days, depending on the route. The delay came amid issues with selling Russian gas because of Western sanctions.

Similarly to Arctic LNG 2, a large-scale arctic LNG project in the Gyda Peninsula, Russian LNG export terminal Portovaya is under US sanctions. This is the third delivery to China from the Baltic Sea plant since US sanctions were imposed in February 2025. Earlier, the main destinations for cargoes from Portovaya were Türkiye and Greece, but the geography of supplies later expanded to China, Spain and Italy.

Background: Redirecting Russian LNG exports to Asia after the loss of the European market is expected to reduce Russia's revenues, as logistics costs are likely to at least double.

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