Tanker with sanctioned Russian Arctic LNG 2 cargo berths in China, tracking data shows

By Emily Chow

SINGAPORE (Reuters) -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, Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait in early May, according to LSEG and Kpler data. 

It then headed east through Southeast Asia before turning up north to reach the Koryak floating storage unit (FSU) in Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on June 3. After loading there, it sailed south and berthed at China's Beihai LNG terminal in the southern Guangxi province on August 28.

Beihai LNG terminal operator PipeChina did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

"While discharge is not yet confirmed, this appears to be the first Arctic LNG 2 delivery since loadings began in August 2024," said Kpler analyst Go Katayama. 

"The timing may align with President Putin's upcoming visit to China, though the buyer remains unclear."

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among several foreign heads of state and government attending a military parade in Beijing next week to mark the formal surrender of Japan during World War Two.

The Arctic Mulan tanker is also subject to U.S. sanctions on registered owners and managers of several LNG vessels in a move to target Russia's oil and gas revenues.

Shipping database Equasis lists Skyhart Management Services, with a registered address in India, as Arctic Mulan's ship or commercial manager. The tanker's registered owner is listed as Zinnia International Co with the same address as Skyhart. 

Reuters was unable to find any contact information for Skyhart and Zinnia. 

Rystad Energy analyst Jan-Eric Fahnrich said the tanker's trip to China appeared primarily as a test of Washington's stance on sanctions, given nearly non-existent Chinese spot demand for LNG.

"U.S. President Donald Trump's reaction will likely dictate whether this remains a one-off transaction, or it opens the door for a number of vessels currently eastbound via the Northern Sea Route," he said.

Arctic LNG 2, which is 60%-owned by Russia's Novatek, was set to become one of the country's largest LNG plants, with target output of 19.8 million metric tons per year. 

But its prospects have been clouded by the sanctions, despite loading several cargoes onto sanctioned tankers in the past year.

Last year, eight cargoes were loaded from Arctic LNG 2 onto several sanctioned LNG vessels, according to Kpler data, four of which were discharged into the Koryak FSU. Kpler data also shows that the Koryak FSU has only received cargoes from Arctic LNG 2. 

This year, five cargoes have been loaded from the project so far, with the sanctioned tankers travelling east along the Northern Sea Route. Two of those are currently north of Russia, while the other three are near the Koryak FSU. 

(Reporting by Emily Chow, additional reporting by Sam Li in Beijing and Lucas Liew in SingaporeEditing by Tomasz Janowski)