The icebreaking LNG carrier Vladimir Rusanov conducts the first ship-to-ship transfer of liquified natural gas produced at the Yamal LNG project at the port of Honningsvåg, Norway, in November 2018. Photo: SCF Group
Russia’s Yamal LNG project has dispatched its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo to China since November, ship-tracking data showed on Tuesday, marking a tentative resumption of flows to Asia after European buyers absorbed all volumes in the first quarter of 2026.
The cargo, loaded via the Arc7 class tanker Vladimir Rusanov near Murmansk and transferred onto the LNG carrier Geneva, is expected to arrive in China in mid-May, according to LSEG data.
Yamal LNG, controlled by Russia’s largest LNG producer Novatek, has historically supplied Europe as its primary market. But shifting geopolitical dynamics and looming European restrictions are forcing a gradual reorientation of flows toward Asia, particularly China.
The latest shipment follows a gap of several months, with the previous cargo to China dispatched in late November and arriving only at the end of January after a longer route around Africa.
During the first quarter of 2026, European buyers effectively absorbed all available Yamal LNG cargoes, traders and analysts say, as the region continued to rely on Russian LNG amid tight global supply and ongoing disruptions linked to geopolitical tensions. This came despite the European Union preparing a phased ban on Russian gas, including restrictions on new LNG contracts from April 2026.
The Yamal project, located in the Russian Arctic with annual capacity of close to 20 million tonnes, has been a cornerstone of Russia’s LNG exports, with Europe accounting for the majority of shipments in recent years.
However, Moscow has increasingly signalled that flows could be redirected eastward. President Vladimir Putin said recently that Russia could divert gas away from Europe in response to tightening sanctions and import bans.
Analysts caution that such a pivot is constrained in the near term by long-term contracts, limited spot volumes and logistical bottlenecks, including seasonal Arctic shipping routes and a shortage of specialised LNG carriers.
Still, the resumption of deliveries to China underscores a longer-term shift already underway. Starting in nine months, China can be expected to become a larger buyer of Yamal LNG, as the European market is set to become effectively off-limits from Jan. 1, 2027 under the EU’s planned import ban.
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