Reuters: Second sanctioned Russian LNG cargo arrives in China

Another tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project has docked at a Chinese port, according to ship-tracking data, days after Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

LSEG tracking data showed the Russian-flagged Voskhod LNG tanker anchored at an LNG terminal in the port of Tieshan, located in Guangxi province in southwestern China. The tanker carried 150,000 cubic metres of LNG, loaded at the Arctic LNG 2 facility in Gydan, northern Siberia, on July 19, Reuters reports.

This is the second shipment from the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project to reach China, following the Arctic Mulan tanker, which arrived at the Beihai LNG terminal in late August. Arctic Mulan’s cargo marked the first delivery from Arctic LNG 2 to an end-user since production began last December.

It remains unclear whether the Voskhod LNG cargo has been fully discharged at Tieshan port, and port authorities could not be reached for comment.

The Arctic LNG 2 project, 60% owned by Russia’s Novatek, is one of the country’s largest LNG developments, targeting an annual output of 19.8 million metric tons. However, Western sanctions related to Russia’s conflict with Ukraine and shortages of ice-class carriers have delayed cargo shipments.

Since its start-up, the project has faced logistical challenges. Last year, eight cargoes were loaded onto sanctioned LNG vessels, with four discharged in Russia’s Far Eastern port of Koryak FSU. In 2025, six known cargoes have left the project, with some tankers navigating east along the Northern Sea Route. Currently, two tankers are berthed on the Kamchatka Peninsula, while a third vessel is positioned in the South China Sea between Taiwan and Hainan Island, according to LSEG data.

By Vugar Khalilov