Russia skirts sanctions as Arctic LNG exports rely on single icebreaker — Bloomberg
Photo: Christophe De Margerie icebreaker tanker (marinetraffic.com)
Russia continues to circumvent US sanctions on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. Gas exports from the sanctioned facility are carried out through the Arctic and are effectively held on a single icebreaker, Bloomberg reports.
On January 5, the sanctioned Russian tanker Christophe De Margerie was spotted moored at the Arctic LNG 2 plant terminal. The latter has been under sanctions since the time of the 46th US President, Joseph Biden.
The Christophe De Margerie is the only tanker in the Russian merchant fleet capable of sailing in ice conditions all year round. The problem, the publication notes, is that the ice around the LNG 2 plant becomes too thick for traditional ships in winter. In December 2025, one of the tankers was unable to even approach the terminal.
At the same time, the Christophe De Margerie tanker is built on the Arc7 model. It can navigate in heavy ice conditions, which is not possible for conventional tankers that are not accompanied by an icebreaker. Christophe De Margerie has already delivered two batches of gas from the plant to the Saam storage facility in the Murmansk region in western Russia. From there, they will be picked up by conventional gas carriers and delivered to China, the only known buyer of Russian LNG subject to sanctions.
"This trade is likely to continue until the shorter eastern sea route reopens when the ice melts during the summer. The continued exports are a shot in the arm for Russia, which is struggling to boost gas sales amid tightening western restrictions and the loss of Europe as its top buyer," the agency notes.
At the same time, it is the presence of the Christophe De Margerie vessel that allows Arctic LNG 2 to operate, albeit at only 25% capacity. Russia is now sending another similar vessel from the Far East, the Alexey Kosygin, an ice-class tanker built in Russia for transporting LNG.
Vladimir Putin is determined to retain control of an important waterway in the Arctic—the Northern Sea Route. Russia has deployed its entire fleet of nuclear icebreakers to the region—the first time in its history.
At the same time, during negotiations with the United States, Russia actively promoted a number of economic initiatives to Donald Trump's administration, including a project to develop large natural gas deposits in the Arctic seas.
