The LNG tanker Merkuriy, which has recently joined Russia’s fleet of gas carriers, has loaded a cargo from a floating storage facility used to tranship gas from the Arctic LNG 2 project, which is under US sanctions, LSEG data showed.
According to LSEG, the Merkuriy loaded the cargo at the Saam facility near the Arctic port of Murmansk on May 9 and headed west.
Russia added four LNG carriers to its fleet in recent months: Orion, Luch, Merkuriy and Kosmos. All were built in 2005 to 2006, transferred to new owners and reflagged under Russia.
The destination for the tanker with the Arctic LNG 2 cargo has not been declared.
India has declined Russia’s offer to buy LNG subject to US sanctions despite a supply shortfall driven by Middle East tensions, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Monday.
Moscow is seeking to diversify its LNG supplies as the European Union's ban on imports of Russian LNG under short-term contracts took effect on April 25, while the ban on long-term contracts will come into force on January 1, 2027.
(Reporting by Reuters, Editing by Louise Heavens)
