The delivery of a cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a sanctioned Russian energy project to a Chinese terminal underscores the continuing circumvention of international restrictions on Moscow’s energy exports.
Delivery Milestone in China
A general cargo LNG tanker recently berthed at a Chinese terminal in the southern region of Guangxi, carrying fuel sourced from a major, sanctioned Russian Arctic energy project. If the vessel successfully discharges its contents, this shipment will mark the seventh load from the same project to be received by this specific Chinese facility. The cargo was loaded from a storage facility in the Russian Far East, which has served exclusively as an outlet for the sanctioned project’s output. The operator of the Chinese terminal did not immediately comment on the delivery.
Evasion of Sanctions and Shipping Routes
The continued export operations highlight Russia’s determination to sustain energy trade despite Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine. The sanctioned energy project, which is majority-owned by a Russian firm, has been sending out LNG since last year, utilizing both Russian storage facilities and the Chinese terminal for deliveries.
Other shipments from the facility are using varied, complex maritime routes to reach Asian markets. Two recently loaded vessels are navigating the Northern Sea Route to the east, while another sanctioned tanker, carrying a large volume of LNG, traveled the long southern route past Europe, Africa, and through the Indian Ocean and is currently heading toward the Bay of Bengal. Additionally, another sanctioned vessel carrying cargo from the project is currently positioned near the same Chinese terminal, having picked up its load from a floating storage facility in northwest Russia.
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Source: Reuters
