First Arctic navigation in mid winter

Melting ice in the Arctic allowed a Russian gas tanker to sail through the Northern Sea Route in the middle of winter for the first time

CHRISTOPHE DE MARGERIE 
Capacity: 172,600m3 liquified natural gas (LNG)
Length: 299m 
Breadth: 50m 
Crew: 33
Lightweight steel reinforced hull, allows travelling through ice up to 2.1m thick


1 Jan 5: Tanker leaves Yamal LNG terminal in Sabetta, Russia

2 Jan 26: Discharges cargo at Jiangsu LNG terminal, China, and sets off again on ballast passage

3 Feb 7: Meets 50 Let Pobedy nuclear-icebreaker at Bering Strait

4 Feb 19: Tanker, escorted by icebreaker, arrives back at Sabetta

Voyage confirms year-round navigation of entire length of Northern Sea Route – shortest passage between Europe and Asia

Christophe de Margerie is part of fleet of 15 vessels purpose-built to serve Yamal LNG project 

Russian shipping company Sovcomflot plans to take delivery of 18 new- generation icebreaking LNG carriers between 2023 and 2025, to service new Arctic LNG 2 project 


Suez Canal
Southern Sea Route
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Arctic Circle
U.S. 
CANADA
North Pole
Bering Strait
RUSSIA
Yamal LNG project
Arctic LNG 2 project
CHINA
Jiangsu
Northern Sea Route
JAPAN
PACIFIC OCEAN
1 2 3 4


Sources: Sovcomflot, Total, Bloomberg, Forbes
Picture: Newscom 
© GRAPHIC NEWS