Russia plans to increase exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to 35.2 million tons this year, based on a gas production project in the Arctic that has been under US sanctions. This volume exceeds last year by 1.9 million tons and is approximately 30 cargo ships.
The main source of this increase should be the project "Arctic LNG-2", which is implemented under the auspices of PJSC "Novatek". However, this project, like the tankers related to it, came under US sanctions, which significantly complicates Russia's operation of the object. The sanctions were imposed not only on the plant itself, which began to work at the end of 2023, but also on its vessels, limiting the possibilities for gas delivery.
To overcome these restrictions, Russia creates a small shadow fleet to transport new Arctic goods to the world market. However, this strategy has its drawbacks. Currently, all the plant serving the plant does not have an ice class, which complicates their ability to take goods from the polar circle after the end of the summer navigation.
These actions of Moscow are part of a broader strategy aimed at reducing the negative impact of international sanctions on its energy sector and supporting revenues from energy exports against the background of a long war in Ukraine.
