NSR Shipping Traffic – Activities in January-February 2021

In the first two months of 2021, 317 voyages were registered – 160 in January and 157 in February. Thus, shipping activity in these months remained at about the same level as in 2020.

The highlight of this winter was experimental voyages of LNG carriers to Asia via the NSR. “Christophe de Margerie” left the port of Sabetta on January 5 (headed to Jiangsu and arrived there on January 26), followed by Nikolay Evgenov on January 6 (arrived at the port of Pyeongtaek on January 27). Both vessels crossed the eastern sector of the NSR without icebreaker support. On January 29, the nuclear icebreaker “50 let Pobedy” left the Ob Bay to head to Cape Dezhnev and meet the LNG tanker “Christophe de Margerie” there to escort him back to the port of Sabetta. Also there was a voyage of “Nikolay Zubov” LNG tanker, which left the port of Dalian on December 25, 2020 and entered the water area of ​​the NSR along Cape Dezhnev on January 6. The vessel arrived at the port of Sabetta on January 18, also without the support of an icebreaker.

As for the traditional activities on the NSR during these months:

In January 2021

General cargo vessels, container ships, bulk carriers made 39 voyages, among them 10 arrivals to Dudinka and 9 to Sabetta and Salmanovskoe field.

Icebreakers made 34 passages. The work involved 4 nuclear and 2 diesel icebreakers. The main areas of work: the Kara Sea, the Yenisey Bay, the Ob Bay, and 1 voyage from the Ob Bay to the Chukchi Sea.

The Yamal LNG carriers made 44 voyages, 22 were for export, and the other half were return voyages.

The tankers had 43 voyages, among them 4 voyages were made by Yamal LNG carriers occupied with condensate export and 35 voyages by tankers of the Shturman Ovtsyn type (the project of Arctic Gate terminal) + 4 other voyages by tankers.

In February 2021

General cargo, container, bulk carriers made 35 voyages, among them 8 arrivals to Dudinka and 10 to Sabetta and Salmanovskoe field.

Icebreakers completed 44 passages. The work involved 5 nuclear icebreakers and 2 diesel ones. The main areas of work: the Kara Sea, the Yenisey Bay, the Ob Bay. Active work was also carried out on the approaches to the Kara Sea from the side of the Barents Sea in the area of ​​Cape Zhelaniya (10 passages), 1 escort by the icebreaker “50 let Pobedy” from Cape Dezhnev to the Ob Bay.

In total, Yamal LNG tankers made 40 voyages, export and return voyages were divided equally – 20 and 20.

2 voyages were made by tankers transporting gas condensate from Sabetta, 32 voyages by tankers engaged in the export of oil products from the Arctic Gate terminal (tankers of the Shturman Ovtsyn type), 4 more voyages were made by tankers not related to the projects mentioned above.