The Christophe de Margerie docked in the Arctic port of Sabetta
Arctic LNG 2 adds Arc7 to its shadow fleet
Having found a steady buyer in China for its sanctioned gas, the Russian project is positioned for nearly year-round operations, yet its 11-vessel ‘shadow fleet’ is still insufficient to achieve anywhere near capacity utilisation.
Arctic LNG 2 is Russia’s third major LNG project, following the 10mt/yr Sakhalin 2 and 17.4mt/yr Yamal LNG, commissioned in 2009 and 2017, respectively. Originally, the Novatek-led development was to have three 6.6mt/yr liquefaction trains, creating a combined capacity of 19.8mt/yr, making it one of the largest single LNG projects in the world. However, Arctic LNG 2 was directly targeted by sanctions following the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, which included blocking the import of liquefaction technology and ice-breaking LNG tankers, and the heavy discouragement of any and all potential customers for the produced gas—including the project’s own joint venture partners
Also in this section
24 April 2026
The European Commission’s response to the Middle East crisis is to double down on its transition strategy, with plans for a new target on electrification
24 April 2026
A major new discovery by Eni and BP that can likely be fast-tracked to production is welcome news for Egypt as it scrambles to plug a widening supply gap and deal with rising import risks
24 April 2026
Countries in the region are turning to the cleaner-burning fuel for power generation, driving demand for imports
24 April 2026
The US has used booming shale production to massively expand its LNG infrastructure, but Canadian developments have not fare so well while in South America consumption outstrips production
