Russia expands its LNG carrier fleet for gas shipments to China ahead of planned EU ban

Russian gas company Novatek and its partners are expanding the fleet of LNG carriers supporting the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project as shipments to China surge. With sea ice melting, 2.3 million metric tons of sanctioned Russian LNG have been transported via the Northern Sea Route since the beginning of 2026, according to Reuters.

At least 31 cargoes have been shipped to the Chinese port of Beihai using vessels including Voskhod, Arctic Pioneer, and Arctic Metagaz. However, the Arctic Metagaz was attacked by a drone in the Mediterranean Sea in March. Despite sanctions since 2023, including on some infrastructure and serving vessels, Novatek and partners keep increasing production and exports.

Currently, 18 LNG carriers are involved in shipments, including new Aleksey Kosygin and Konstantin Posiet, built at Russia’s Zvezda shipyard. Some of these older carriers, such as Merkuriy, Luch, Kosmos, Orion, Arctic Express, Chaivo, and Avacha, have already transported LNG near the Kola Peninsula. Russia plans to build two more LNG carriers in 2026-2027 to handle the growing demand, which is expected to continue after the EU's full ban on Russian LNG, set to take effect on January 1, 2027.