Chinese Vessels Race to Deliver Power Plant To Sanctioned Arctic LNG Project Before Winter

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) –

A small fleet of Chinese cargo has set out from shipyards near Shanghai attempting to deliver a critically-needed power plant to Russia’s Arctic before winter. With just days left before the Northern Sea Route shuts down to vessels with no or low ice-classes, the convoy may run out of time and ice-free waters.

The vessels carry a power plant for Russia’s flagship liquefied natural gas project, Arctic LNG 2. Without the power station the project’s next stage can not be commissioned. The U.S. has been attempting to interdict vessels from carrying materials to sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 in an effort to kill the project.

Originally, Western turbines were intended to drive the liquefaction process. But following the exit of American company Baker Hughes, the project’s majority owner Novatek, was forced to redesign parts of the plant to be electrically driven. Its Chinese partners provided the technology solution. 

The onshore power plant was built at Wison New Energies’ Zhoushan yard between the end of 2022 and the summer of 2024. It was loaded aboard three heavy lift vessels – Ocean 28, Hunter Star, and Nan Feng Zhi Xing – in recent weeks. 

Ocean 28, Nan Feng Zhi Xing and Hunter Star departed from Eastern China between September 23-28. After refueling stops in Vladivostok, where Hunter Star currently remains, the ships are inching toward the Bering Strait at between 9-11 knots.

Especially for the no ice-class Ocean 28 the legal navigation window is rapidly closing. At current speeds the vessel’s journey to Arctic LNG 2 will last another 3 weeks, almost certainly taking it into ice-covered waters as winter arrives. 

Russia’s Northern Sea Route administration announced that vessels without ice-class have to vacate the route by October 10. Though with its strategically important cargo Ocean 28 will likely be given any assistance required to assure it reaches its destination. Russia’s nuclear icebreaker fleet is currently gearing up to begin its winter mission to keep shipping lanes open. 

The situation is similar for Hunter Star and Nan Feng Zhi Xing, both possessing only light Ice1 protection. While this extends their window until October 20 it is unlikely sufficient to reach the LNG project. 

Wison New Energies aborted a prior delivery attempt of Arctic LNG 2 modules earlier this summer over the fear of sanctions. That vessel, Wei Xiao Tian Shi, was recalled just days before delivering its sanctioned cargo to Russia and returned to China after a three-month voyage.

Industry insiders speculate that Wison may react in similar fashion this time in an effort to avoid sanctions and to not jeopardize its contracts and cooperations with Western partners.

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