Russia sends first LNG tanker this year eastward along the Arctic, data shows

A liquefied natural gas carrier has departed from a Russian outlet and sailed east towards Asia, LSEG data showed on Thursday, the first tanker this year to set sail along the Northern Sea Route as navigation along the route opens earlier than usual.

Russia hopes to boost trade with Asia along the route, which it sees as an alternative to other routes such as the Suez Canal, at a time of heightened security risks for navigation, especially in the Middle East during military conflicts.

The data shows that the ice class carrier Сhristophe de Margerie departed with a cargo from Arctic LNG 2 plant, which the United States has placed under sanctions over Ukraine.

Ice-class tankers usually have double hulls – strengthened structures to withstand the pressure of ice – and reinforced propellers.

Last year, the first tanker – with a cargo from Yamal LNG plant – departed via the route from Russia in the last third of June.

The Northern Sea Route runs from Murmansk near Russia’s border with Norway eastwards to the Bering Strait near Alaska.

Although the route is physically challenging, it could cut sea transport times between Europe and Asia at a time when Russia’s trade with Western countries is at post-Cold War lows following Moscow’s sending troops into Ukraine in 2022.

Sea ice around the North Pole covers the largest area at the end of the winter in March, and thaws to an annual minimum in September. The ice has shrunk in recent decades in a trend scientists have linked to man-made climate change.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by David Holmes)