OREANDA-NEWS. November 19, 2012.  For the first time in the history of the Arctic navigation a LNG carrier Ob river with a freight of liquefied natural gas (LNG) passed through the Northern Sea Route.

The navigation safety through ice was ensured by nuclear-propelled icebreakers the Vaigach and the 50 Let Pobedy of Rosatomflot. The LNG carrier freighted by the JSC Gazprom Marketing and Trading has about 135,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas on board.

The operation uniqueness was that liquefied natural gas was transported via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) for the first time. The LNG carrier is 45-meter wide that might have complicated its steering in November. However, thanks to highly professional actions of the LNG carrier and Rosatomflot icebreakers’ crews the unique operation was carried out within a record-setting short time.

This journey is also of interest because it is an illustrative example of how cost efficient the steering via the Northern Sea Route can be for companies in the Northern Europe from the viewpoint of searching for new sales markets in Asia. Liquefied natural gas from Sn?hvi deposit was loaded at Hammerfest Terminal (Norway). The Ob river LNG carrier left Hammerfest on November 7. The nuclear icebreaker Vaigach of Atomflot started steering the ship at 22H00M on November 9 near the Kara Strait. In the western part of Vilkitsky Strait the convoy was joined by the 50 Let Pobedy icebreaker. On November 18 at 21H20M the Ob river left the NSR. Therefore, it took the LNG carrier 9 days via the NSR at an average speed of 12.5 knots.

At the present time the LNG carrier sails independently towards Tobata Seaport (Japan). The Rosatomflot’s Vaigach nuclear icebreaker continues ensuring the navigation safety at the Northern Sea Route, while the 50 Let Pobedy icebreaker is heading to her home port of Murmansk. She is to undergo a scheduled overhaul to be ready for winter season operations.