Russia Assembles Flotilla of LNG Carriers in Arctic Waters Ahead of EU Transshipment Ban

Russia continues to amass LNG carriers in preparation of the impending EU transshipment ban. Starting in March 2025 EU export terminals will be off limits to Russian LNG forcing the country to look instead to ship-to-ship transfers.

For this purpose Russia is seemingly readying a small fleet of vessels to transfer supercooled gas from the Yamal LNG project. Currently specialized Arc7 ice-class vessels carry the LNG through ice-covered waters before delivering it to terminals in Europe, from where it is routinely re-exported to other markets. 

In 2024 around 2.6mn tonnes of Russian LNG passed through the EU in this fashion. It will require approximately 35-40 ship-to-ship transfers to replace terminal capacity. 

AIS tracks show more than a half dozen LNG carriers circl…