A sanctioned LNG carrier linked to Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project has been forced to abandon attempts to reach the Utrenny terminal after encountering unusually thick sea ice in the Gulf of Ob.
The 293 m long LNG carrier Buran (built 2023), one of seven LNG carriers listed under Sovcomflot in VesselsValue’s fleet register, made four unsuccessful attempts to break through the ice, despite support from Russia’s nuclear icebreaker fleet, according to The Barents Observer, citing ship tracking data and local reports. Arctic conditions have shifted rapidly this month, with ice forming earlier than expected.
The vessel is one of four similar-aged LNG carriers — alongside Iris, Voskhod and Zarya — all built at Samsung Heavy Industries and forming a so-called shadow fleet deployed by Novatek to move cargoes from Arctic LNG 2 to China via the Northern Sea Route.
During the summer and autumn of 2025, the four tankers completed at least 12 shipments from the Utrenny terminal in the Kara Sea, primarily to Chinese ports.
