Rosatom, Novatek to launch year-round navigation to east via NSR in early 2024

MOSCOW. May 17 (Interfax) - Rosatom state nuclear energy corporation and Novatek will jointly launch year-round navigation along the eastern direction of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) in early 2024, Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Together with Novatek we are planning to launch year-round navigation in the eastern part of the NSR early next year. This is a truly historic decision, important for the development of the entire Arctic, and of particular importance for our country's economy," he said.

"Novatek plans to commission offshore transshipment facilities in the Murmansk Region and on the Kamchatka Peninsula this year, which will help increase the turnaround rate of high Arctic-class gas carriers and ensure a rhythmic pace of LNG shipments.

Novatek currently has 28 LNG carriers and plans to build another 30 ships to operate along the Northern Sea Route.

The company expects to ship about 80% of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) produced by the Arctic LNG 2 project, which is due to be launched with capacity of 20 million tonnes per year, to Asian markets.

It will take 3 to 4 days to transport LNG from the production site to the terminal in Murmansk, with delivery in 5 days to Europe and 31 days to Asian markets after transshipment to conventional ships. If LNG is shipped eastward, it takes 9-18 days to Kamchatka and another 6 days to Asia after transshipment.