Russia builds another tanker to circumvent sanctions via northern seas

Konstantin Posiet, Russia's second newly built ice-class tanker for transporting liquefied natural gas, has left Bolshoy Kamen Bay in Primorsky Krai and set course for the Northern Sea Route.

Source: Reuters

Details: For Russia, this tanker represents another step in circumventing Western sanctions.

The vessel was built at the Zvezda shipyard, one of Russia's most advanced shipbuilding facilities, to serve the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 plant, which is under US sanctions.

According to LSEG data, the Konstantin Posiet is due to arrive at its destination on 30 August. The destination of the gas carrier has not been disclosed.

The Zvezda shipyard specialises in building large Arc7 ice-class tankers, capable of breaking through ice up to two metres thick.

The shipyard was due to build 15 tankers for Russia's Arctic LNG 2 project, but sanctions have delayed the programme.

The first domestically built ice-class LNG tanker from the Zvezda shipyard, the Alexey Kosygin, entered service in December last year.

With this new vessel, the company now has three ice-class tankers in total, allowing gas to be transported via a significantly shorter route.

Background: Russia relied on a single icebreaker to continue exporting liquefied natural gas from a US-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project throughout the winter.

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