Despite facing Western sanctions that limit access to necessary tankers for its Arctic LNG 2 project, Novatek is advancing its plans to transport LNG to Asian markets. Starting March 2025, Russian LNG loadings will be banned in EU ports, intensifying the need for innovative solutions.
To alleviate the shortage of vessels capable of navigating Arctic waters, Russia intends to have existing ice-class tankers unload their cargoes onto conventional vessels at sea, enabling them to undertake new shipments. The first ship-to-ship transfer area is set to be established near Chosha Bay in the Barents Sea, designated for Obsky Ammiak, a Novatek subsidiary. A second facility with similar capacity will follow in Kresta Bay in the Bering Sea.
These transfers, which will only occur when ice does not impede vessel movement, are projected to handle 4.1 million cubic meters of LNG and 1.4 million cubic meters of gas condensate annually at each facility. Novatek has previously employed this method for LNG transfers off the coast of Russia's Murmansk region.