NSR Shipping Traffic – Export of LNG from Sabetta in 2021

More than 18,7 mln tons of LNG were exported from the port of Sabetta in 2021 (18,6 mln exported in 2020). In total there were made 263 shipments (524 – the total number including return voyages), 25 ships participated. The ice class of ships was mainly Arc 7, there were additionally involved ships with lower ice class for transportations in summer navigation period.

The geography of destination ports was rather various. Most of all voyages were to France (ports Saint-Nazaire – 32 and Dunkirk– 28) – 60, Belgium (port Zeebrugge) – 53, China (ports Beihai – 4, Caofedian – 2, Dalian – 2, Fujian – 2, Jiangsu – 3, Shanghai – 1, Shenzhen – 2, Tangshan – 6, Tianjin – 3, Yangkou – 4, Zhoushan – 1) – 31. Among other countries accepted Yamal LNG were Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Japan, Portugal, South Korea and others. Also, there were made 9 shipments with following transshipment near Kildin Island, not far from the Murmansk port. For comparison, in previous years, 3 leading countries accepted Yamal LNG, were (see the number of shipments in brackets): in 2020 – Belgium (62), France (57), Spain (30); in 2019 – Norway (102, transshipment in Honningsvåg), France (32), Belgium (26). In total 47 LNG carriers went to Asia market in 2021.

Therefore, over the last three years the countries that have steadily received ships with LNG under Yamal LNG project can be observed: Belgium, China, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Great Britain.

As for the seasons, despite the vessels with lower ice class that joined the fleet in summer navigation period, more dynamic export under this project was noticed in winter period (see the table on the map).

The earliest voyage to the east from the Sabetta port started on June 21 (the carrier Georgiy Ushakov went to Japan). It is worth noting that in 2020 export to the east started in May. The navigation of 2021 to the east for LNG carriers fleet finished in December: the carrier Vladimir Vize left Sabetta port on December 15 and went out the NSR water area along Cape Dezhnev on December 26, and on January 6, 2022 it was in the port of destination, in China. This carrier returned to the Sabetta port with the same route. The carrier Vladimir Vize entered the NSR waters along Cape Dezhnev on January 22, 2022 and arrived to Sabetta on February 5, 2022.

The navigation by months was arranged the following way (the number of voyages in the diagram includes return voyages):