Russia to ensure all-year navigation on Northern Sea Route, inviting foreign partners to use this route interfax.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from interfax.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Irina Reznik, Anna Shiryaevskaya and Dina Khrennikova (Bloomberg)
Russia is preparing to make the earliest-ever shipment of liquefied natural gas to Asia, taking advantage of thinning ice in the Arctic Ocean and paving the way for a record-long navigation season this year.
The super-chilled cargo from Novatek PJSC’s Yamal LNG facility in early May will beat last year’s record for the start of eastbound voyages through the Northern Sea Route by almost two weeks if the plan works out, according to people familiar with the situation. It will travel with an ice-breaker.
The Northern Sea Route, stretching more than 3,000 nautical miles (5,556 kilometers) between the Barents Sea and the Bering Strait, is the shortest passage between Europe and Asia. Yet its eastern part is usually shut for navigation for several months at the start of the year due to thick ice, limiting shipment potential. Its increased use underscores how quickly the pace of climate change is accelerating i