Despite this week’s UK sanctions on the only Chinese terminal importing LNG from Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project, a new cargo arrived in China from the Russian plant that is under sanctions from the United States and other Western countries.
The Arctic Mulan tanker carrying fuel from Arctic LNG 2 arrived at the Beihai LNG import in China on Friday, vessel-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg showed.
The cargo is the first Chinese import of sanctioned Russian LNG since the UK sanctioned on Wednesday seven specialized LNG tankers and the Chinese Beihai LNG terminal. Beihai has been importing LNG from Arctic LNG 2 – the severely disrupted flagship Russian LNG project, sanctioned by the UK in February 2024, and by the U.S. and the EU in the same year.
At least another LNG cargo is en route to the Chinese terminal and is expected to arrive after November 13, when the wind-down period in the UK sanctions ends, per the tanker-tracking data monitored by Bloomberg.
The continued Russia-China trade from Arctic LNG 2, which began this summer, suggests that Russia and China appear unfazed by sanctions on the project or the Chinese import terminal.
China is estimated to have received at least ten LNG cargoes from Arctic LNG 2 as Beijing and Moscow appear bolder in defying U.S. and other Western sanctions on Russia’s energy exports.
Arctic LNG 2, operated by Russian energy firm Novatek, had struggled for more than a year to find buyers after the Western sanctions were imposed last year.
But the project roared back to life in August, in a sign that Russia is done waiting and is now sending off loaded LNG cargoes, which could be testing the Trump Administration’s willingness to sanction Russia’s LNG customers in China.
All exports from Arctic LNG 2 have been shipped to China, after China stopped buying U.S. LNG amid the two countries’ trade spat.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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