Russia’s LNG ‘Shadow Fleet’ Stalls as Winter Nears, Vessels Idle or Turn Back

After a flurry of activity over the past three months Russia’s LNG ‘dark fleet’ is struggling to keep the momentum going with winter approaching. LNG carriers made 13 deliveries to China’s Beihai terminal since the end of August; shipments now appear to slow down.

Two medium ice-class gas carriers, Vokshod and Buran, struggled through the ice-covered Arctic following behind nuclear icebreakers. Their journeys will likely be the last for Arc4 ice-class vessels via the waters of the Northern Sea Route until mid-summer of next year. 

Two other shadow fleet LNG vessels made abrupt u-turns in the East China Sea and in Europe’s North Atlantic. LNGC Iris reportedly offloaded cargo at China’s Beihai terminal on October 2, but returned to the facility just two weeks later after turning around off China’s eastern coast. Analysts were perplexed by the action, wondering if Iris’ cargo may have been initially rejected due to being off spec.

In the North Atlantic sister vessel Zarya made a u-turn just off the coast of the Faroe Islands on November 6, seemingly now heading for Murmansk. The vessel had loaded cargo at Arctic LNG 2 a week earlier. The pickup on October 31 was the 12th and last loading so far at the plant this year. 

Further signs that Novatek’s logistics operations are transitioning into winter mode come from LNG carriers Arctic Pioneer and Christophe de Margerie. The former arrived at the Koryak FSU in Kamchatka on October 30 to load cargo. After holding outside Bechevinskaya Bay for a week the vessel returned to Koryak again on November 8.

Meanwhile Christophe de Margerie, the only high ice-class LNG carrier available for transport of sanctioned gas, arrived outside Koryak nearly two weeks ago. It finally called at the FSU on November 5 and has remained at anchor outside the bay since then.

For much of the past three months the vessel has been shuttling LNG from Arctic LNG 2 to Koryak at a steady clip, completing four trips in two months at times exceeding 20 knots along the Northern Sea Route – close to its maximum speed in open water.

With its Arc7 ice classification Christophe de Margerie is the sole LNG carrier in service of the project still capable of transiting the icy Northern Sea Route. The vessel’s recent inactivity suggests the start of reduced production at Arctic LNG 2 until northern shipping lanes open up again in July 2026.