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Market Chatter: Russia Nearly Doubles Dark Fleet to Export LNG From Sanctioned Arctic LNG 2

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Russia has added more tankers to its fleet to transport liquefied natural gas from its Arctic gas project, close to doubling the number in under a year, Bloomberg reported, as it seeks to boost exports of the fuel.

A Bloomberg analysis of ship-tracking data shows that at least 20 vessels, mostly with a 'dark fleet' profile of opaque ownership, have carried cargoes from the Arctic LNG 2 facility and its related assets.

The fleet expansion comes as Russia looks for new markets for gas that previously headed to Europe by pipeline. The US and EU have put sanctions on Arctic LNG 2, leaving China the only willing buyer.

Analysts at Rystad Energy have raised their 2026 production estimate for Arctic LNG 2 by 9% versus a July forecast, to 5 million tons. They said Russia's current shipping fleet suited to the facility has a capacity of 5.2 million to 5.4 million tons per year, less than half of what Arctic LNG 2 can produce.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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