Despite Western restrictions, Russia is still vigorously promoting high-profit liquefied natural gas exports. In less than a year, the size of the tanker fleet used to transport liquefied natural gas for Arctic projects sanctioned by the US has almost doubled. Analysis of ship tracking data shows that there are currently at least 20 ships providing transportation services for the Arctic LNG 2 project facilities and related supporting infrastructure. Most of these ships use an opaque ownership structure typical of a “shadow fleet”. The latest to be put into use is a Russian-built premium ice-class ship. This is the second ship of the same type that can travel through frozen waters throughout the year. Ship tracking data shows that the ship has loaded cargo from the project's facilities over the weekend.

Despite Western restrictions, Russia is still vigorously promoting high-profit liquefied natural gas exports. In less than a year, the size of the tanker fleet used to transport liquefied natural gas for Arctic projects sanctioned by the US has almost doubled. Analysis of ship tracking data shows that there are currently at least 20 ships providing transportation services for the Arctic LNG 2 project facilities and related supporting infrastructure. Most of these ships use an opaque ownership structure typical of a “shadow fleet”. The latest to be put into use is a Russian-built premium ice-class ship. This is the second ship of the same type that can travel through frozen waters throughout the year. Ship tracking data shows that the ship has loaded cargo from the project's facilities over the weekend.