Russia increases energy shipments via the Northern Sea Route — OilPrice
Russia, an aggressor state, is increasing its use of the Northern Sea Route along the Arctic coast to supply liquefied natural gas and oil to Asian countries. OilPrice reports that the route could shorten the distance to Chinese ports and reduce Moscow's dependence on the Suez Canal. At the same time, its use is limited by the seasonality of navigation and a shortage of specialized vessels.
A shorter route to China
The Northern Sea Route runs from the Kara Gates area to the Bering Strait and is about 5,600 kilometers long. According to calculations cited in the article, a voyage from Murmansk to Qingdao, China, via the Arctic route is approximately 6,400 kilometers and takes about 20 days. The route through the Suez Canal is about 12,400 kilometers long and takes around 39 days.
The main navigation period on the route lasts from June or July through October. The article's author notes that warming and an increase in the number of vessels adapted to Arctic conditions are extending the season available for shipping.
LNG and oil
The Arctic LNG 2 project on the Gydan Peninsula is designed to produce 19.8 million tonnes of LNG per year across three processing trains, two of which have already been completed. According to OilPrice, production remains below design capacity due to U.S. sanctions and a shortage of specialized tankers. Since the beginning of 2026, 41 LNG cargoes totaling about 3.1 million tonnes have been loaded at the project.
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In August 2026, approximately 500,000 tonnes of LNG from the Yamal LNG plant were transported eastward via the Northern Sea Route, compared with 350,000 tonnes in August 2025. OilPrice links a possible further redirection of cargoes to Asia to Europe's full ban on Russian LNG, which, according to the publication, is due to take effect in January 2027.
Vostok Oil plans
ARCO, Novy Port and, at times, Urals oil are also transported to China via the northern route. Six Urals cargoes passed along this route in 2023, and nine in 2025. By September 2026, six Urals cargoes had already passed along this route, while the total number of oil voyages in August stood at 12, compared with nine a year earlier.
Rosneft's Vostok Oil project could increase shipping volumes in the future. Its first phase includes the approximately 790-kilometer Vankor—Payakha—Severnaya Bay pipeline. The port at Severnaya Bay is initially planned for 30 million tonnes of oil per year, or about 625,000 barrels per day, with a possible subsequent expansion to 2.1 million barrels per day by 2030.
