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Russian LNG major Novatek said that the Arc7 ice-class module carrier Audax completed its trip along the Northern Sea Route. This is long after the traditional navigation season closure. The vessel delivered a process module weighing almost 12,000 tonnes for Arctic LNG 2 from Tianjin to Murmansk.
The module will go on the gravity-based structure (GBS) for Arctic LNG 2 Train 1 at the LNG Construction Center in Belokamenka.
The Atomflot icebreakers escorted the vessel along the Northern Sea Route. This voyage is unique in terms of a vessel of this size passing the route in February in challenging conditions.
The icebreaker assistance was difficult largely due to navigation specifics during winter 2022. The current NSR navigation season saw severer ice conditions compared to previous years. The summer-fall navigation period ended at the beginning of November 2021, much earlier than in previous years.
Due to the size of Audax, icebreaker assistance in the route’s most challenging parts involved two icebreakers widening the ice channel.
Novatek says the successful completion of the trip testifies to the reliability of its logistics model and the possibility of year-round LNG deliveries via the Northern Sea Route to the Asia Pacific region.
