Russian armada pushes east through the Arctic
The wider convoy also
included some containerships, the biggest ship being the 27-year-old, 2,135 teu
Tenda, underlining the increasingly bold use of the NSR, where weather can
deteriorate rapidly, and sea-ice conditions remain unpredictable even during the
summer navigation season. At the
start of the month, some nine tankers were concentrated north of the
Taymyr Peninsula, waiting for icebreaker escort for the eastbound passage,
according to news site The Barents Observer, citing publicly available MarineTraffic
data. The gathering has shaped up to become one of the largest convoys ever to
navigate the NSR.
Among the vessels were
the 46,000 dwt Saga, built in 2006, the similarly
sized Jupiter, built in 2009, and the modern aframax Vostochny Prospect, delivered in 2023. All three are
Russian-owned and Russian-flagged.
The ships have now pushed into the Laptev Sea, according to vessel
tracking services, successfully negotiating a significant stretch of the Arctic
route. The travel comes at a time when Russia is stepping up crude oil and LNG
shipments to China via the Arctic route.
Related News
