Fifth sanctioned LNG ship berths at Russia's Arctic LNG 2

A liquefied natural gas tanker targeted by US sanctions berthed at Russia's Arctic LNG 2 on Thursday, shiptracking data from LSEG and Kpler showed, the fifth such tanker to stop at the project this year.

Loadings resumed late in June at the Arctic LNG 2 project, which has been sanctioned over Moscow's war in Ukraine, with four cargoes heading east toward Asia via the Northern Sea Route on sanctioned tankers as well.

The fifth, Buran, which berthed at the Arctic LNG 2 plant on Thursday, was previously called North Air, with its name being changed in April after it was targeted by US sanctions last August.

Shipping database Equasis showed Buran's ship or commercial manager is Angara OOO, with a registered address in Moscow, in succession to White Fox Ship Management.

Buran's current registered owner is LNG Alpha Shipping with an address directed to Angara. The United States placed sanctions on both White Fox and LNG Alpha last year as it targeted Russia's oil and gas revenues.

Reuters could not find contact information for Angara and LNG Alpha.

Arctic LNG 2, 60 per cent-owned by Novatek, was set to become one of Russia's largest LNG plants, with eventual output of 19.8 million tonnes a year.

But its prospects have been clouded by the sanctions and it has struggled to sell LNG from the project.

Last year, the plant loaded eight cargoes onto several sanctioned LNG vessels, according to Kpler data, with some vessels discharging the fuel at two storage facilities.

(Reporting by Emily Chow; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)