SINGAPORE: A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker has loaded cargo from Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project, marking the sixth shipment from the facility this year, ship-tracking data from analytics firms Kpler and Vortexa showed.
The cargo, lifted by the tanker La Perouse between August 30–31 after arriving at the plant on August 27, follows China’s receipt of an LNG delivery from Arctic LNG 2 last week — the first end-user cargo since the project began operations late last year.
Arctic LNG 2, a key Russian energy project, is under Western sanctions linked to Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Notably, La Perouse itself was among five LNG tankers sanctioned by the United Kingdom in September 2023 due to involvement with Russia’s future energy projects.
Shipping database Equasis lists the vessel’s registered owner as Enson Shipping Inc. and its commercial manager as Dreamer Shipmanagement LLC-FZ, both registered in Dubai, UAE. Reuters was unable to contact either company.
Data also indicated that another sanctioned vessel, Arctic Vostok, is currently anchored alongside the Koryak floating storage unit (FSU) in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, suggesting an LNG transfer operation. The Koryak FSU has been used to store Arctic LNG 2 cargoes, including the one shipped to China.
Equasis records show Arctic Vostok is owned by Lule One Services Inc. and managed by Ocean Speedstar Solutions, both based in Mumbai, India. The companies could not be reached for comment.
The United States sanctioned the registered owners and managers of several LNG vessels, including Arctic Vostok, last year as part of efforts to restrict Russia’s oil and gas revenues.
By Reuters
