Russia has begun commercial oil exports from Rosneft's Vostok Oil, its vast Arctic development that Moscow is counting on to lift crude production following years of delays and sanctions.
The launch comes as Russia looks for new sources of production growth after the US shale boom helped propel the US past Russia to become the world's largest crude producer.
State-controlled Rosneft started loading crude in September onto specialised ice-class tankers at its newly built Bukhta Sever terminal on the Taimyr Peninsula, marking the operational debut of a project once billed as capable of producing up to two million barrels per day, or around two per cent of global oil supply.
For now the exports remain far below those ambitions. Two industry sources expect exports to average about 150,000 bpd this year, with volumes largely supplied from Rosneft's mature Vankor fields.
As development of the northern greenfield assets, particularly Payakha, advances, Rosneft plans to increase exports to around 600,000 bpd by the second half of 2027, before reaching one million bpd by 2030, the company said.
In September, Rosneft loaded about 250,000 tonnes of crude from Bukhta Sever across three tankers: the Panamax Valentin Pikul and Aframax Akademik Gubkin, which delivered oil to Murmansk for ship-to-ship transfer, and the Aframax Vladimir Monomakh, which sailed to Asia via the Northern Sea Route, the two sources said and LSEG data showed.
A fourth tanker awaits loading, LSEG data showed. Initial buyers of the unnamed grade were unknown.
Rosneft did not respond to a request for comment.
The launch comes at a challenging time for Russia's oil industry.
The US has strengthened its position as the world's largest crude producer and Russian production has struggled to recover. According to US Energy Information Administration data, Russia's oil and condensate output averaged about 9.9 million bpd in 2025, compared with nearly 13.6 million bpd in the United States.
Vostok Oil represents Russia's primary vehicle for long-term production growth. Spanning 13 fields with an estimated 50 billion barrels of low-sulphur crude, the project connects to Bukhta Sever via a dedicated 790-kilometre pipeline and a planned 100-tank storage hub, according to Rosneft.
Western sanctions imposed after 2022 triggered the exit of key international investors, including Trafigura and Vitol, forcing Rosneft to rely on domestic financing and asset sales and causing lengthy delays.
Despite those setbacks, the project remains strategically vital: beyond tapping vast Arctic reserves, Bukhta Sever provides a secure export outlet insulated from drone strikes targeting Russia's Baltic and Black Sea infrastructure amid Moscow's war in Ukraine.
(Reporting by Reuters, Editing by Louise Heavens)