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Russia doubles its dark fleet for Arctic LNG 2 LNG shipments to Asia
Russia increased the number of opaque-owned LNG carriers for Arctic LNG 2 from about 11 in December 2025 to at least 20, with additional ice-class capacity aimed at keeping exports moving despite EU phaseout.
Russia has doubled the number of opaque-owned vessels it uses to ship liquefied natural gas tied to its sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project, according to an analysis of vessel-tracking data cited by OilPrice and attributed to Bloomberg. The count rose from an estimated 11 LNG carriers in Russia’s dark fleet as of December 2025 to at least 20 vessels within nine months.
The expansion includes another ice-class LNG tanker capable of operating through Arctic waters year-round, following use of the sanctioned Christophe De Margerie ice-class vessel that has exported cargoes to China. With Arctic LNG 2 sanctioned by the United States, the EU, and the UK in 2024, and the EU phasing out Russian LNG imports by the end of this year, Moscow is building a fleet to route gas toward Asia.
OilPrice says Russia has kept sanctioned LNG trade with China running through winter using ice-class shipping, and is now adding vessels to continue selling gas after Europe “slammed the door” to Russian LNG. However, the outlet notes the buyer pool for new Arctic LNG 2 cargoes may be narrow, because only China is willing to buy.
The story also describes a broader approach of quietly amassing a dark fleet, including buying older LNG carriers, as Russia seeks to shift where its LNG is delivered. That demand concentration could give China leverage over pricing for new Russian LNG supply.
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