Russian LNG Tanker Sinks in Mediterranean
A Russian tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) sank in the Mediterranean on Wednesday after what Moscow described as an attack by Ukrainian drones launched from Libya.The Arctic Metagaz sank in waters between Libya and Malta after catching fire a day earlier, Libya's maritime rescue agency said in an advisory seen by Reuters."Information indicates that the tanker experienced sudden explosions followed by a massive fire, which ultimately led to its complete sinking," the agency said.Ukraine has frequently targeted Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure in an attempt to de
Russia accuses Ukrainian drones of attack on LNG Ship in Mediterranean
The Russian transport ministry accused Ukrainian drones on Wednesday of attacking the Arctic Metagaz, a Russian LNG carrier that caught fire in a Mediterranean sea?a day before. It would be the first attack on a Russian LNG ship by Ukraine if confirmed. The Security Service in Ukraine did not reply to a comment request. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure to 'deprive'?Russia of funding. The Russian transport ministry confirmed that all 30 crew members were safe.
NYT: Trump's ally Novatek signs deal with Russia on natural gas in Alaska
The New York Times reported that American financier 'Gentry Beach', who is a close friend of Donald Trump's family, had signed an agreement last fall with Russia's Novatek to develop natural gas for Alaska during the Western sanctions against Russia. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in Alaska in August to end Russia's war against Ukraine. On the sidelines of negotiations, U.S. officials and Russian officials discussed a number of?potential deals in energy.
Data shows that Yamal LNG has resumed transhipments in the vicinity of Murmansk.
LSEG data showed on 'Thursday that Yamal LNG has resumed ship to ship?liquefied gas operations near a port in the Arctic called Murmansk. This could mean a possible resumption for the first time of this winter of fuel exports into Asia. Ship-to-ship allows the company to optimize the use of expensive ice-class tankers during the winter when the Northern Sea Route, which runs along the Russian Arctic coast, is restricted. This?scheme is used to export goods to Asia. The LSEG data…
TotalEnergies CEO seeks clarification on EU ban on Russian gas
Patrick Pouyanne, the CEO of TotalEnergies, said on Wednesday that the company is asking both France's?government and EU Commission for clarification on an EU ban against importing liquefied gas from Russia. Pouyanne said in an analyst briefing that it appears that a European company is unable to market Russian LNG. This was something we had not anticipated. He added that the French oil giant may abandon the Yamal project if they are unable to sell the fuel. Total is one the largest buyers in the world of Russian LNG…
Data shows that Russia will ship its first cargo of Arctic LNG 2 this year to China.
LSEG data revealed that the first liquefied 'natural gas' cargo of this year from Russia's sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 facility was discharged to China's Beihai LNG Terminal. According to data, the Buran gas carrier loaded LNG at a Saam floating?unit near Murmansk, a Russian port that is used for the?project. The ship delivered cargo to China's southwest Guangxi area?via the Suez Canal. Arctic LNG 2 ships started using this route after winter restrictions?limited access along the Northern Sea Route on Russia's Arctic coast.
Russia builds its first LNG tanker of the ice class and plans to build two more by 2026
Interfax, citing the CEO of the company, reported that 'Russia's leading tanker group Sovcomflot' received its first Russian-built Ice-class tanker built for liquefied gas from Zvezda Shipyard. It plans to order two more in the next year. Due to Ukraine-related sanction, Russia has difficulty in securing gas carriers. This is especially true for vessels that can?cut through thick Arctic ice?and serve LNG projects. Zvezda is Russia's most advanced shipbuilding facility. It specializes in building large?Arc7 tankers capable of breaking through up to 2 meter thick ice.
Gazprom Delivers First LNG Cargo to China Post Sanctions
Russian energy giant Gazprom has delivered a liquefied natural gas cargo from Portovaya LNG plant to China, in the first such shipment since the United States introduced sanctions against the project in January, LSEG data showed on Monday.Gas carrier Valera, formerly known as Velikiy Novgorod, brought the cargo from the Baltic Sea's plant to the Beihai LNG terminal, LSEG ship-tracking data showed.Russia's largest LNG producer Novatek uses the same loading outlet in China for cargoes…
Data shows that Gazprom has delivered the first LNG cargo to China after sanctions from Portovaya.
LSEG data revealed on Monday that Russian energy giant Gazprom delivered a cargo of liquefied gas from the Portovaya LNG facility to China. This was the first shipment since January when the United States imposed sanctions against the project. LSEG's ship tracking data revealed that the gas carrier Valera (formerly Velikiy Novgorod) transported the cargo from the Baltic Sea plant to the Beihai terminal for LNG. Novatek, the largest LNG producer in Russia, uses the same loading port in China to load cargoes from Arctic LNG 2.
Data shows that Gazprom has delivered the first LNG cargo to China after sanctions from Portovaya.
LSEG data revealed on Monday that Russian energy giant Gazprom delivered a cargo of liquefied gas from the Portovaya LNG facility to China. This was the first shipment since January when the United States imposed sanctions against the project. LSEG's ship tracking data revealed that the gas carrier Valera (formerly Velikiy Novgorod) transported the cargo from a Baltic Sea plant to Beihai LNG Terminal. Novatek, the largest LNG producer in Russia, uses the same loading port in China to load cargoes from Arctic LNG 2.
Energy Minister: Russia will increase LNG exports from Arctic and Sakhalin to China
The Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said that the Russian Energy Ministry plans to increase LNG imports from China through the Arctic LNG 2 project and Sakhalin 2 project, and "serious progress" has been made, according to Expert magazine. Arctic LNG 2, which is 60 percent owned by Russia's Novatek has been shipping LNG since last summer. Cargoes are being delivered to the Beihai LNG Terminal and two storage facilities in Russia. Tsivilev, quoted by Expert as saying that Russia "plans" to increase its supplies to China of both pipeline gas and liquefied gas (LNG)…
Russia's LNG Exports by Destinations and Volume
EU sources confirmed on Friday that the European Commission would propose to ban Russian LNG imports a year sooner than originally planned as part of the 19th package sanctions against Moscow. Here are some statistics about Russia's gas exports, by volume and destination. In January-August 2025, Russia exported 18.8 million metric tonnes of liquefied gas. Of this amount, 9.5 million tons went to Asia while 9.2 millions tons went to Europe. Eurostat reports that the share of Russian liquefied gas imported by the EU in the second quarter 2025 has decreased from 22% to 14%.
The second known tanker to carry Russian Arctic LNG in China
Ship-tracking data revealed that another tanker carrying liquefied gas from Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 Project docked at a Chinese port days after Russian president Vladimir Putin met China’s leader Xi Jinping. The LSEG data showed that the Russian LNG tanker Voskhod was anchored in the port Tieshan, in China's southwest province of Guangxi. LSEG data revealed that the Russian flagged LNG tanker with a cargo of 150 000 cubic metres was loaded at Arctic LNG 2 in Gydan, northern Siberia, on July 19.
Source: Despite cargo loadings at the Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia, production problems persist.
A source with knowledge of the situation said on Tuesday that the first production train is only running at half capacity at Russia's Arctic LNG 2 facility, which is under U.S. sanction due to Moscow's conflict in Ukraine. Meanwhile, its second production train is experiencing production problems. Source: The first train runs at 55% of its production capacity while the second is plagued by serious electrical problems and cannot load any cargoes. Arctic LNG 2 also aims to load 30 cargoes before the end of the year, based upon production from the first train at the plant, said the source.
Sanctioned Arctic Mulan LNG Tanker Berths in China
A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas from Russia's sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 plant has moored at an import terminal in southern China on Thursday, after loading at a Russian storage facility in June, Kpler and LSEG ship-tracking data showed.If the tanker discharges the LNG at the terminal, this would be the first cargo from the Arctic LNG 2 project to be received. The project is targeted by Western sanctions over Russia's war with Ukraine.The Arctic Mulan LNG tanker was idling off the coast of Egypt from February to April before travelling through the Suez Canal…
US and Russian officials discussed the latest Ukraine peace talks alongside energy deals
Five sources familiar with these talks claim that U.S. officials and Russian government officials discussed energy deals in parallel to negotiations to achieve peace in Ukraine this month. They said that these deals were presented as incentives for Washington to relax sanctions against Russia and to encourage the Kremlin into peace in Ukraine. Due to sanctions imposed after the Ukraine invasion in February 2022, Russia is no longer able to attract international investment into its energy sector or make major deals.
US and Russian officials discussed the latest Ukraine peace talks alongside energy deals
Five sources familiar with these talks claim that U.S. officials and Russian government officials discussed energy deals in parallel to negotiations to achieve peace in Ukraine this month. They said that these deals were presented as incentives for the Kremlin, to encourage it to accept peace in Ukraine and Washington to ease sanctions against Russia. Due to sanctions imposed after the Ukraine invasion in February 2022, Russia is no longer able to attract major international investments in its energy sector or sign large deals.
Putin sees the 'light at the end of tunnel' for Russia-US relations, and cooperation in Arctic Alaska
Vladimir Putin, President of Russia and the United States, said that "light is at the end" of the tunnel in Russia-U.S. Relations and that both countries are discussing joint projects for the Arctic and Alaska. In response to questions from reporters during a tour of a nuclear research center, the Russian president said that he believed Donald Trump's leadership skills would be instrumental in helping to restore relations. "I think the light at the end has finally appeared with the arrival of Donald Trump." "We had a good, meaningful, and frank summit in Alaska," Putin said.
Vedomosti reports that Murmansk LNG is facing delays of years.
Vedomosti reported Wednesday that the start of production for Murmansk LNG - a project to produce liquefied gas led by Novatek - has been delayed by several years. The newspaper cited updated government plans. The reported delay is another challenge for Russia. It aims to reach a 20% market share on the global LNG by 2030-35, where it will compete with Qatar, Australia, and the United States. Murmansk LNG is set to be the largest LNG plant in Russia, producing up to 20.4 million tonnes of LNG per year. The first two trains were expected to begin production by the end 2027.
Russian LNG exports dropped 4.4% year-on-year in January to June, according to data
LSEG's preliminary data on Wednesday showed that Russia's liquefied gas exports in the first six months of this year fell by 4.4% compared to a year ago, reaching 15.2 million metric tonnes. This was despite international sanctions over Ukraine. The United States, in particular, has imposed sanctions against companies and vessels connected to Russia's Arctic LNG 2 plant due to the conflict in Ukraine. This effectively freezes the project as Moscow is unable find buyers. U.S. president Donald Trump said that he wanted the European Union (EU) to buy more U.S.