LIFESTYLE / Model Thëngjille Kaushi conquers the pages of the agri-food press

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Russia expands 'shadow fleet' of ships ahead of EU ban

2026-08-04 21:36:47Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Russia is quietly expanding its fleet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers in preparation for a ban on Russian LNG imports by the European Union, which will take effect in 2027.

According to data from maritime analytics firm Windward, at least eight used LNG carriers have been purchased in the past six months and are now being used for Russian cargo. The fleet currently numbers 25 vessels, including the first two carriers built at the Russian shipyard Zvezda.

The expansion of this fleet is expected to enable Moscow to continue gas exports even after the tightening of European sanctions, following a strategy similar to that used for oil exports through the so-called "shadow fleet".

The European Union has decided to ban imports of all Russian liquefied natural gas from 2027. Currently, EU countries are the main buyers of output from the Yamal plant in Siberia, while other projects, such as Novatek's Arctic LNG 2, are already subject to sanctions.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has decided that any sale of LNG ships to Russian citizens must be notified to Brussels, but has not banned the transport of LNG to third countries by European ships.

Unlike the “shadow” oil fleet, which numbers over 1,000 ships, LNG transportation is much more complex. These ships are among the most specialized in the world, costing about $300 million each and using advanced systems to keep the gas at a temperature of -162 degrees Celsius during transport.

Furthermore, a large part of Russian production is located in the Arctic, which requires the use of special ships capable of navigating ice.

Experts estimate that Russia may encounter difficulties in building new carriers, after the French company GTT, which dominates the LNG storage systems market, terminated contracts with Russia following the imposition of European Union sanctions.

As a result, Moscow is expected to increasingly rely on purchasing used ships to maintain natural gas exports in the coming years.


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×