Yamal LNG Acquires New Gas Carrier for Murmansk Operations
Russia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant Yamal LNG, led by Novatek, has acquired a new gas carrier for ship-to-ship operations near the Arctic port of Murmansk, according to ship-tracking data from LSEG released on Thursday.
The data shows that the tanker named North Moon is located near Kildin Island in the Barents Sea, where LNG from Yamal LNG is being transferred from ice-class Arc7 tankers to conventional vessels.
Source: Novatek
Ship-to-ship transfers typically involve moving LNG from ice-class tankers to conventional ones but can also be used to complicate cargo tracking. Yamal LNG resumed operations in the Murmansk region last November.
Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, as well as a shortage of gas carriers, pose challenges for Russia in its goal to increase its share of the global LNG market to 20% by 2030–2035, up from the current 8%. The North Moon was built in 2024 and is owned by Singapore-registered Arctic Emerald no.2 LNG Shipping, operated by Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines.
Russia, the world’s fourth-largest LNG producer after the US, Australia, and Qatar, currently operates two large-scale LNG plants: Yamal LNG, led by Novatek, which produced around 20 million tons last year, and Gazprom’s Sakhalin-2, with an output of over 10 million tons last year.
Another Novatek plant, Arctic LNG 2, has faced difficulties in selling cargoes despite starting operations in late 2023. An industry source told Reuters last October that Novatek halted commercial operations at Arctic LNG 2 with no plans to restart them during the winter.
