Kremlin speeds up LNG delivery to China thanks to nuclear icebreaker
30.06.2025 - 14:33
Russia has sent the gas tanker Georgiy Ushakov along the Northern Sea Route, likely to China.
Russia has sent the gas tanker Georgiy Ushakov along the Northern Sea Route, the shortest route to Asia through the Arctic. The ship departed from the port of Sabetta and reached Kamchatka in 10 days, accompanied by the nuclear icebreaker Yamal, said Andriy Klymenko, project manager at the Institute for Black Sea Strategic Studies.
The tanker is then apparently heading to China. The full route will take 15–20 days, almost half the time of the standard route through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea or around Africa, which usually takes 40–45 days.
As a reminder, the Georgiy Ushakov is a new LNG tanker with a deadweight of almost 97,000 tons, built in 2019. It is formally registered to a company from the UK, and the ship’s flag is Bahamian. The owner is TC LNG Explorer V LLC, the operator is Seapeak Maritime from Glasgow.
The nuclear-powered icebreaker Yamal, which accompanied the tanker to the Bering Strait, was built in 1992. It is one of the older vessels of the Russian ice fleet, which is still used to support the Russian Federation’s commercial logistics in the Arctic.
The day before, USM wrote that the Russian Federation is trying to resume LNG exports from the Arctic LNG 2 despite sanctions.
