/Agencia Reuters
El Merkuriy, recently integrated into the Russian gas fleet, has received a cargo at a floating transshipment unit linked to the Arctic LNG 2 project. According to LSEG data, this operation occurs despite the fact that this project is under United States sanctions.
According to LSEG, the Merkuriy carried out the loading operation at the Saam facility, near the Arctic port of Murmansk, on May 9 and headed west.
Russia incorporated four LNG carriers into its fleet in recent months: Orion, Luch, Merkuriy and Kosmos. All were built between 2005 and 2006, transferred to new owners and flagged under the Russian flag.
The destination of the vessel with the Arctic LNG 2 cargo has not been declared. India has rejected Russia’s offer to buy LNG subject to United States sanctions, despite the supply shortage caused by tensions in the Middle East, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.
Moscow seeks to diversify its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies following the entry into force, on April 25, of the European Union ban on imports of Russian gas under short-term contracts; meanwhile, the ban on long-term contracts will enter into force on January 1, 2027.
