The Novatek-operated Yamal LNG export project in the Russian Arctic has shipped 50 million tons of liquefied natural gas since it started production from the first train in 2017.
Yamal LNG said on Friday it loaded the “milestone” cargo on the Arc7 ice-class tanker Nikolay Zubov.
In addition, this cargo represented the 685th shipment of LNG dispatched from the project since the first delivery in December 2017, according to the Yamal LNG statement.
In 2020, the facility produced 18.8 million tons of LNG accounting for more than 5% of the global LNG market, the statement said.
Novatek and its partners in Yamal LNG ship the fuel with a fleet of 15 Arc7 ice-class tankers with cargo capacity over 170 thousand cubic meters each, as well as by 11 conventional gas
carriers.
To remind, Novatek said last month it planned to launch full operations at its fourth Yamal LNG train in “the upcoming weeks” as the giant project continues to outperform.
The 900 thousand tons per annum unit started pilot LNG production in December last year adding to the three 5.5 mtpa units already in production at the plant in the Russian Arctic.
Following the start of the first train in the fourth quarter of 2017, Novatek and partners launched the second unit in July 2018 and the third in November the same year.
Besides Novatek that holds 50.1 percent in Yamal LNG, other shareholders include France’s Total and China’s CNPC with a 20 percent stake, each, and the Silk Road Fund that owns a 9.9 percent share.