China Takes LNG Cargo From US-Sanctioned Russian Facility
Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project has faced issues in finding buyers after it was blacklisted by US President Joe Biden’s administration in late 2023.
Photographer: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images
A Chinese state-run terminal appeared to take delivery of some liquefied natural gas from a US-sanctioned Russian facility, according to shiptracking data, which would mark the first such trade as Moscow tries to maintain its energy exports.
The Arctic Mulan vessel left the Beihai LNG terminal on Friday, a day after docking there. The ship’s draft was at 8.7 meters as it departed, down from 9.8 meters previously, indicating it discharged some of the cargo it was carrying from Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 export plant, the data shows. A trader familiar with the Chinese terminal also confirmed that LNG was discharged from the vessel.