据离岸工程7月5日消息称，本周，一艘装载着亚马尔液化天然气工厂货物的液化天然气(LNG)油轮穿过俄罗斯北部的北极水域，驶向亚洲，这标志着2019年夏季穿越北海航线的首次航行。

据Refinitiv Eikon周五公布的数据显示，弗拉基米尔·鲁萨诺夫号是一艘ARC7级的液化天然气油轮，可以在半清澈的水域中航行，6月29日离开萨贝塔港，现在位于白令海峡附近的楚科奇海。

这条路线在一年的大部分时间里都处于冰冻状态，但随着气候变化，冰层融化的速度更快、时间更长，这条路线在夏季的使用也越来越多。船只现在可以在不使用破冰船清理航道的情况下通过航道。

俄罗斯独立天然气生产商诺瓦泰克开始在俄罗斯西北部的亚马尔开展业务，目的是通过其Arc7油轮将部分液化天然气运往东部。去年，随着终端在2017年12月开始运营，四艘这样的油轮运往东部。

对于诺瓦泰克来说，这条路线颇具吸引力，因为它能让该公司更直接地接触到亚洲最大的液化天然气消费国。对其他航运公司来说，这条航线有可能降低进入亚洲市场的成本和时间。

预计诺瓦泰克不久将向道达尔、两家中国企业和两家日本企业出售股权，之后将做出建造另一家液化及出口设施Arctic LNG 2的最终决定，这是这是亚马尔附近的另一个液化出口设施。

曹海斌 摘译自 离岸工程

原文如下：

Arctic Sea Route Opens for Year's First LNG Cargo

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker carrying a cargo from the Yamal LNG plant has spent this week making its way through Arctic waters north of Russia towards Asia, marking the first voyage of the 2019 summer season across the Northern Sea Route.

The Vladimir Rusanov, an Arc7-classed LNG tanker that can plough through semi-cleared waters, left the Sabetta port on June 29 and is in the Chukchi Sea close to the Bering Strait, Refinitiv Eikon shipping data showed on Friday.

The route is frozen for most of the year but is being increasingly used during the summer as ice clears quicker and for longer as the climate changes. Vessels are now able to cross the route without the use of ice-breakers to clear their path.

Independent Russian gas producer Novatek began operations at Yamal, in northwest Russia, with the aim to ship some of the LNG eastwards with its Arc7 tankers. Last year, as the terminal was ramping operations it began in December 2017, four such tankers were sent eastwards.

For Novatek, the route is attractive because it gives a much more direct access to the world's largest LNG consumers in Asia. For other shipping companies, the route has the potential to cut the costs and time to access Asian markets.

Novatek is expected to take a final decision to build Arctic LNG 2, another liquefaction and export facility next to Yamal, very soon after selling stakes to Total, two Chinese and two Japanese companies.