The Russian Government has instructed its industry and trade, energy and transport ministries to prepare a construction plan for the LNG carriers required by the country's operating and planned LNG projects and to have the plan ready to be submitted by August 1, 2027.
The task is one of more than 80 measures in the implementation plan for Russia's “Energy Strategy 2050”. Government order No. 3170-r approved the plan on October 31, 2026, and it covers the period 2027–2029.
The order names Novatek, Sovcomflot, and Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex as participants. It calls for a plan to build, "the necessary number of gas carriers to meet the needs of existing and planned projects in the production and use of LNG.
The energy strategy was approved in April 2025. It projects LNG output of 90–105 million tonnes in 2030, against 32.339 million tonnes produced in 2023. The large-scale projects it lists include Arctic LNG 1 and 2, Ust-Luga, and Murmansk LNG.
Zvezda was earlier contracted to build a planned fleet of 15 Arc7 carriers for Arctic LNG 2. That programme included agreements for 10 newbuildings placed through Smart LNG, a joint venture of Novatek and Sovcomflot.